Divergent Point
by Fiction-stalker supreme
Summary: One fateful morning Harry wakes up. But unlike it should be, he wakes up in his younger body. He has no time to question this before he sees it in every detail, the sense of wrongness wrapped around everything; how everyone speaks, how people act and how they treat him. AU
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belongs to its various owners. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a work of fan fiction and no profit is being made.

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1-01

"Dudley! Harry!" said a voice. Aunt Petunia. "Both of you, here, now. Breakfast's ready."

I shook my head, feeling a chill rise up my spine at the same moment that my stomach tossed and turned. My heart was beating faster, sweat lining my brow and my mind abuzz because all of this seemed like a dream. Not neccesarily a nightmare, but still surreal enough that I was left with a feeling of wrongness.

It didn't help that this wasn't where I was supposed to be.

I looked at my hands again for the fifth time that day. They were shorter than I remembered them, younger and without the scars; looking up my arm I couldn't see the words Umbridge had made me crawl on one arm nor the scar Wormtail had cut into the other. This body, this me, was much younger.

"Dudley! Harry! Both of you get down here right now or I'm going to take away all your toys," said Aunt Petunia. That sense of wrongness came again, stronger than ever because this wasn't making any sense.

Was it possible that I was under some spell? Being tortured and my mind finding retreat were it could? Or was it some attempt to infiltrate my mind and get information?

Panic started to seize me but I pushed it back and started some breathing exercises until it all stopped. I thought back, pushing my mind to remember the last memory: Falling asleep with Lily's form curled beside me. Ginny had gone to an sporting exhibition in France for a week and Lily was starting to feel downcast that she was the only child in the house.

How did that become this? He didn't remember anyone breaking into the house. He didn't remember a fight. He didn't remember anything that spoke of foul play.

Even so I was here. Not in my house, but staying with my Aunt and Uncle all while wearing my eleven year old body.

Footsteps broke me from my thought process and then the door was pushed open. It wasn't my door, but a door immediately opposite my own. I let my thoughts drift as I heard Aunt Petunia speaking to Dudley, instead noticing other differences.

My room in particular. Everything was wrong about it. There were too many childish things. Toys on every surface, large posters on the walls and a generally lived in look that I didn't remember in my childhood.

If this was an attempt to get my mind under a false sense of security then it wouldn't work because the person doing it had no idea what my younger life had been like.

Another set of quick footsteps and then the doorknob was turned and the door pushed. It stuck, locked.

"Harry, open this door," said Aunt Petunia, impatience in the tone. Even that she was calling me this rang of wrongness.

I took a few steps, turned the key and stepped back. Aunt Petunia towered above me, expression of exasperation before it quickly softened.

"Brush your teeth then downstairs," she said. "I told you yesterday we've got to get to Diagon Alley early so we don't get swept up in the rush."

 **What?**

 **What?**

"Harry?" said Aunt Petunia. She moved forward and put a hand on my forehead. "Are alright? Are you feeling sick? You look a little pale," she said, all of it with concern.

 **What?**

"I—" the words didn't come out. I wanted to push them out but my mind had stopped working. _What in Merlin's name is going on?_ seemed to be the only thought my mind could make.

Aunt Petunia cooed. "Brush your teeth," she said, "then back to bed. I'll bring your breakfast up." She gave me a light push and I moved on automatic.

The house was all wrong, the dimensions off and not the right style. This room, the smaller room, wasn't where it was supposed to be. The bathroom was bigger, more decorated in stuff I might have liked back then, mixes of muggle and magical toys at the edges of the tub.

Mechanically I brushed my teeth and then I returned to my room. When I got there Dudley was waiting for me. Different but in a pronounced way, a bit of baby fat but all of it in a frame which said 'there'll be muscle here soon.'

"Mom said I should bring you these," said Dudley. He was looking at me as though he was looking at a ghost, equal parts confusion and relief on him. "She said to tell you we'll be going to the Alley when you feel better."

I nodded slowly, trying to get my head around all this. Both of them knew about Diagon Alley. Both of the knew about magic. Magical toys were in this house. I was in my eleven year old body. Why? Why all this? What had caused all this? What is all this?

"I'll be going then," said Dudley, slowly. He walked towards the door, but as he got close to me I could see him sniff, eyes glazing over. I flinched all of a sudden as he threw himself at me and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug.

He was saying something I couldn't quite make out, lost in the sniffling and heaving. I felt awkward because none of this made any sense whatsoever.

A full minute passed before he pushed himself off me, muttered an apology and then ran out of the room.

Ten minutes passed where I was transfixed; my legs growing tired, ten minutes were spent just sitting staring into space; and then I forced myself out of it. Whatever was happening here needed to be solved. I just had to think it through, put all that magical education into work into figuring things out.

This wasn't a dream or mental projection. The former would mean I wouldn't have noticed this, my mind would work on its own into making sense of this entire world and the latter would be much harsher. I wasn't the best or even an average Occlumens to exist, but I was proficient enough that I would be able to detect mental intrusion, and right now I wasn't doing anything.

Which meant this was reality.

I was in my eleven year old self, which meant this was time travel, but of the mental sort. If it was total time travel then I would be in my much older body with all the scars that came with it.

But this wasn't just ordinary time travel. Things were different. The Dursleys knew about magic, embraced it even, something that hadn't happened when I had really be eleven years old. And Dudley was emotional.

Dudley. Emotional.

"Okay," I muttered to myself. "Time travel with a deviation point." Things would have changed to fit that deviation and as I could tell it was the Dursleys embracing magic. How far did that ripple though? And what did I do know?

Did I change things? Would that cause a paradox? Technically a deviation had already set and what future I could predict was already dramatically altered by this. What would a few more changes do in the grander scheme?

But this was mainly because I didn't want to see the multitude of deaths again. I didn't want Voldemort to do the damage he had to so many people, to leave other children as he'd left me, even if this time around it meant that I would have to die because of my nature.

First though, I needed to sort out all of the differences. Everything would be different because of this point. I would need to spend the next few days parsing out the differences and trying to figure out how they would impact the future.

Goal set, I started to feel a little calmer if only a little.

My food wasn't cold. Maybe some sort of enchantment on the dishes. A lot more magic in this place and yet there was also technology. Was that another difference? Something in the past shifting so that someone worked on the divide between magic and technology?

After that I went into the kitchen, making sure I moved through the entire house to get a feel of it. The wrongness became more pronounced particularly in the living room, pictures of me, Dudley and Aunt Petunia.

No Uncle Vernon.

The stranger part was that we were all happy. A part of me wished that it could get a glimpse of the memories of my younger self. How Aunt Petunia was when I when she showed kindness. I'd seen it when it was in with Dudley, but it had always been warped by the fact that I was hungry for the same thing and that asking for it would have given me nothing but scorn.

I placed the dishes in the sink and, after some thought, gave them a wash. I was just getting done when Aunt Petunia bustled into the room, what looked like a manuscript in her hands.

"You shouldn't be doing that, love," said Aunt Petunia. "Ringo will be here soon. He'll clean things up."

I nodded. Who was Ringo? I shook the thought away and chose a closer question, "What's that?"

"Oh. This," she said. She wore a broad grin, practically beaming. "I've finally finished it. My publisher should give it a read-through for the next month before it's published."

An author? And she had to be reasonably good if we could afford this large a house, especially if she was a single parent.

"Have you thought of a title?" I asked.

"Stalker," she said. "It's a murder mystery. Solving crimes without magic. The lead's a squib. Pandering, I know," she said, "but wizards love a familiar element. Next book is going to be a muggle lead." She took a breath. "I was hoping it would only be one trip to Diagon Alley, but since you aren't feeling well…"

"No," I said. "It's find. I just…had a bad dream. Mom and dad," I said on impulse. Aunt Petunia's expression dropped. She moved forward and engulfed me in a hug, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"It's okay, honey," she said. _"He's_ gone. Never coming back."

"Yeah, I know," I told her. So I knew about Voldemort. She'd told me about everything. "It was just a dream. I'm sorry if I worried you."

"I'm your aunt," she said. "Of course you can worry me. Go on, then. Tell Dudley we're going and take a shower."

Wrongness.

All the wrongness.

All of the wrongness spreading through me. I felt good. I loved this. I had always wanted this and yet because I'd grown without I found it eerie. Dudley had calmed down enough to listen to my words and after a shower I sat in the living room. It didn't take longer than half an hour before we were standing in our fireplace and shouting, "Diagon Alley."


	2. Chapter 2

1-02

Aunt Petunia is efficient.

The first time around she hadn't been the one to cart me to Diagon Alley for my schooling supplies and she had been so cold that I hadn't been looking for anything she could do particularly well. But I was pleasantly surprised that a trip that usually took the entire day with the Weasley brood took the three of us two hours and thirty minutes.

But then, it also wasn't too hectic. It was early enough in the morning that we were almost always the first customers to arrive. She would bustle in, telling us to meander until she had the full stock in that particular shop before she was paying and we were leaving for the following store.

In no time at all we were entering Ollivander's wand shop. He smiled the broadest smile as we entered.

"Another pair off to Hogwarts, then?" he said.

It had surprised me at first, that Dudley was too a wizard but as far as I could figure it this was why everything was so different. Why there was the shift between what I knew and what was, because faced with the choice of learning to love magic or hating her son, the former choice would be made without a doubt where my aunt was concerned. For now, it was a safe bet that the same couldn't be said for Uncle Vernon.

At this point, though, that was speculation.

"Dudley is the older of the two," said Aunt Petunia. Still that favouritism but with a hint of logic behind it. Dudley immediately shook his head.

"Harry should go first," he said, still looking at me with that shell shocked look to him. Aunt Petunia frowned a little before she shrugged. Ollivander was already moving, bustling through the shop and trying out different wands.

I had to wonder if this would be different now since I was my older self, if the Phoenix feather cored wand would still choose me. An indefinite amount of wands later and I felt a prickle of warmth rush up my arm; the wand didn't expel any sparks and I could see as Ollivander moved to take it.

I pulled back.

"This is the right one," I told him.

He looked at me, grey eyes taking me in before he suddenly nodded. Nothing about this being the twin to Voldemort's wand he instead turned to Dudley, measuring his dominant arm and then wands kept changing hand until one particular wand erupted a flurry of golden fireworks.

"Hawthorn, with dragon heartstring core," said Ollivander, "nine inches, springy. Quite good for hexes and jinxes."

Was that good or bad? Why was I thinking on that now? Dudley seemed like he was a different person that what he'd been in the original timeline, it would be my own biases that would make me see him the same way.

"Well," Ollivander continued. "I should box these for you." The words were said while pulling out his own wand and giving it a wave, summoning two rectangular boxes. "I'll have them enchanted to open in the Hogwarts Express," he told Aunt Petunia.

"Thank you, Mr Ollivander," Aunt Petunia returned, a relieved look to her. I swallowed, feeling a pit in my stomach at that. Already I had begun making plans about how I would change the future, ensuring that Voldemort wouldn't regain his body. But I could plan until the time I reached Hogwarts, make a list of what I would change and how it would impact the future.

First though, "Mom, can you leave us in the library?" said Dudley as though reading my thoughts.

"The library?" said Aunt Petunia, just as shocked as I was over Dudley's words. "Are you feeling alright, Dudders?" she asked.

"I am," said Dudley, shifting and looking between the both of us. "I just want to learn as much as I can about Hogwarts as I can."

An expression flickered too quickly to read on Aunt Petunia's face before she nodded, smiling a little. "How practical of you," she said. "But I can't just leave the pair of you in the library. I'll be gone for an hour at least."

"It's fine, Aunt Petunia," I said, taking the moment for the boon that it was. "I also wanted to go to the library."

She ruminated and then nodded. "If I let you do this, I need promises from the both of you that you'll stay there and after an hour you'll be standing at the exit waiting for me."

We both nodded.

"Good, then," she said. "Thank you Mr Ollivander," she said taking the wand and depositing them into her bag. It was a short trip into the library and then Aunt Petunia was off for her publishing office. At that point, Dudley and I went our separate ways.

Immediately I went to the librarian and asked for old copies of the Daily Prophet, getting a gauge of the current history of this world, looking for any other deviations. The most prominent was a man by the name of Amon Umbridge who'd acclaimed the title of the first squib to hold office in the Department of Mysteries; for that matter, the man had seemed to have changed the tide when it came to the perception of squibs by their wizarding counterparts.

A few years later after this, another squib, Matilda Gripshaw, went on to discover that runic magic could be used to create devices that could store power. She'd been the first to invent the wizarding battery and then on things were different on a whole other level.

With the perception of squibs changing a lot more had come out of the woodwork. Remus Lupin had started leading the charge in changing the perception of werewolves, it helped that the man held a close connection the Evan and Potter brood.

"Kept her maiden name," I hummed. New information. They weren't the Dursleys anymore.

Things were still slow moving though, because most of the changes were being fought by those resistant to change, citing that this was a major loss for wizarding culture. I liked it though, but I was a little afraid of what these changes meant because it was also possible that the knowledge I had for the future might be moot.

I checked my watch and, to my dismay, found that in the time I'd been reading over the newspapers thirty minutes had passed. Not enough time that I could start checking on the type of magic that could bring me into this universe and maybe figure out the why of it.

That would have to wait though. I sighed as I piled the newspapers back together and headed back to the Librarian's desk. I stopped short, however, as I saw a familiar figure with a pile of books levitating behind her.

When she looked at me, she froze, eyes bulging out and tears appearing at the edges of her eyes. She seemed to quickly notice what was going on, take a breath and the walk forward as though she didn't know me.

But then, Hermione wouldn't know me yet would she?

Even so this was strange. First Dudley and now her. All of them with strange expressions when they first saw me.

Why?

All of a sudden an idea hit and I felt an idea for not having connected the dots sooner.

"Thank you for these," I said as I piled the newspapers back on the librarian's desk. I ran in the direction Hermione had ran through and found her with a book already open. She looked a little surprised when she saw me.

I took a breath and didn't even think about it.

"I'm an adult from the future," I said. "I woke up today and I was here, in this body, in this different world."

Hermione didn't say anything for a moment and in that time I was panicking, thinking of all the way I had ruined this and having to steal my wand so I could modify her memory.

But then she said, "Me too."

There was more than one of us and it was possible that Dudley was one too.

 _What in Merlin's name is going on?_


	3. Chapter 3

1-03

Excitement passed through me before it was clouded over by doubt and suspicion. This wasn't something small, sure there was reason for suspicion of other time travellers in Hermione and my cousin, but I didn't have enough evidence that I could trust the suspicion to be true.

"I'm sorry for this," I said, "but could you give me some proof that you're from the future?"

Hermione nodded and reached into her sleeve to pull out her wand. She pointed it at an ornament on the table and waved it without saying a word; the ornament shifted, its metal frame warping to form a bird that quickly grew plumage. In mere moments the bird looked like any other robin, no sign that it had been transfigured by magic.

"If you don't mind," said Hermione. "Can I have a similar demonstration on your side."

"My box was enchanted not to open," I said. "Do you mind if I borrow yours?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry. First rule of being a witch, you don't give your wand to strangers," she said.

"We're not strangers, though," I said. "You're one of my best friends."

The look on her face was enough. She gave me a blank look, as though she didn't quite understand the concept, and then she slowly shook her head, a spark of recognition in her eyes.

"I think," she started, "that we're from different timelines." Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a pad and pen. "Can you give me a brief summary of the timeline where you come. Maybe if I know the difference between then I can piece together why we're the ones who's minds made the trip."

She handed over the pad and pen and I started jotting down most of what could remember, writing the broader scope of what had happened without going into the gritty stuff. I wasn't sure information about Horcruxes needed to be disseminated after all, especially with this Hermione being different from my own.

Hermione did the same thing, jotting down quick notes which she handed to me when we were both done. The diverging point, as I could see it, happened pretty quickly. Everything ran the course before I was killed while trying to save Hermione from the troll attack on Halloween. She and Ron had survived but the latter of the two had suffered severe brain damage.

Voldemort seemed to have returned much earlier in her timeline and he held power longer. The mood I got from Hermione's list was that the press was instrumental in Voldemort holding power so long. He had been ruthless to his enemies but information not going out because he and the Malfoy family effectively controlled the Daily Prophet.

"How did you win the war with all this happening?" I asked.

"I became an enemy of the International Wizarding Council," said Hermione. "Dumbledore was the first to be attacked, much the reason he wasn't taken seriously when he spoke about Voldemort's return. Then when I killed him, I was branded a terrorist and had to hide for the majority of my life. All that, of course, was before all of this."

With this information in hand I noticed something I'd overlooked before, the books Hermione was carrying. Though a majority of them had to do with theoretical magic, there were also books going over the laws of Magical Britain and business creation.

"You're already planning how to take him down," I said.

Hermione nodded. "Voldemort shouldn't be allowed to gather power," she said. "I can't allow that to happen. You have no idea how my England was at the end of it all. How much the muggle population suffered because of Voldemort and his administration."

"Then let's get our head together," I said. "Between the both of us, and possibly Dudley, we should know enough that we can find a way to put a stop to everything before it even begins."

"That's true," said Hermione. "But first we have to know for sure if your cousin is like us or not, because if he is then it might mean that there are other people out there just like us. What if its Neville Longbottom of all people?"

"Neville?" I said, unable to keep out my surprise.

Hermione's eyes shone with a deep anger as she spoke, "He was the worst of them. The most loyal." Her voice faltered. "The amount of people Neville tortured or turned into _his_ grip."

"Hermione…I need you to remember that the Neville you meet here might not be the one in your timeline," I said. There was a flash of anger in her eyes, enough that did I have my wand and Disarming Jinx would have been thrown in her direction.

Even so I continued, "My Neville was one of the greatest men I ever knew."

"You'll excuse me if I don't share the feelings, Harry," said Hermione with a crisp tone. She took a breath. "I need to figure this out. Do you mind if I talk to your cousin?"

"Shit," I muttered in realisation. "I have to go. My aunt will be pissed I'm late. Can we meet again? Maybe tomorrow? I think that'll be enough time that I can sneak out of the house."

"Here, tomorrow," said Hermione. "I'll see you then, Mr Potter."

The title unsettled me slightly but I ignored it rushing down the aisles of the library without actually running. By the time I got to the exit Aunt Petunia hadn't arrived but Dudley was stand with a bag held in one hand.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Books," he returned. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a small card with a moving book on it. "I made a library card."

"Smart," I said. I looked at Dudley and he was shifting, looking at me and then down. Suspicious enough behaviour that I should have noticed it before but hadn't. I took a breath. Again I didn't need to think about it. "What would you say if I said time-travel?"

Dudley didn't say anything but I could see the markers; the shifting became more pronounced, his eyes slightly bulged and his mouth was slightly agape before it closed.

"I—" he started but I interrupted.

"Me too," I said, "and so did another girl in the library, Hermione Granger. I knew her in my timeline. We were actually best friends but that doesn't seem to be the case now."

Dudley swallowed. "How are you so calm about all this?" he asked.

"Were you a wizard before?" I asked. Dudley shook his head. "You'll get used to it when you're around magic. Time turners are a thing after all. Can we go an meet her? If there's anyone who can figure this out its her."

Dudley nodded and followed me as we traversed. I found Hermione at the same table and she looked up as we entered. There was the strong feeling that she had a set of wards layered onto the floor.

"I thought you had to meet your aunt," she said.

"She hasn't arrived yet," I said. "This is Dudley. He's a time traveller too."

"Hello, Dudley," said Hermione. "Do you mind telling me a little about your timeline. Did you fight or were involved in the war against Voldemort?"

"Yes, I was," Dudley answered. "After." His gaze shifted in my direction. He took a breath, steeling himself. "After you saved me from Malfoy Manor, Dumbledore recruited me into the Order."

"Harry was Dumbledore involved in your fight with Voldemort?" asked Hermione. She had her notebook out and was jotting things down.

"He was the one who was given the prophecy," I said after a little thought. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Another quick question, Dudley. Did Harry die for you?"

The hitch was answer. A yes for that.

"Three points in common," said Hermione. "Dumbledore. Voldemort. Harry. It's the same with me too. Harry saved me. Dumbledore recruited me personally into the Order. I fought and killed Voldemort."

"That's how it happened to me too," said Dudley. "How does that help us figure this out, though?" he asked.

"It doesn't, not directly," she said. "But…" Hermione took a breath. "I think that there might be more than just the three of us. I don't understand it yet, the whole time travel thing, but I think it might operate under the multiverse theory." She looked at us, questioning.

"I don't know what that is," said Harry. "My speciality was Defence Against the Dark Arts. No theoretical magic."

"It's science," said Dudley. "There's the theory that every decision we make splits the universe creating parallels," he explained.

"Yes," said Hermione. "This along with the how distance compounds error I think this might be a result of that. There's a main timeline that as split to the point each of our timelines formed. From those timelines, though, a few conditions were met: Harry, Dumbledore, Voldemort.

"Now, the bad part is that there are theoretically an infinite amount of parallel universes. Infinity divided by anything is still infinity," she said. "So there's likely an infinite possibility that everyone in the world has met those three conditions."

"Fuck," I muttered as the full scope of her words started making sense. There was the all too real possibility that Voldemort had been sent in the past or that any of his deranged Death Eaters had made the trip too.

This was going to be fun.

AN: This is the true premise of this story. It has its complexities but this is it.


	4. Chapter 4

1-04

"So this means," I started.

"That there's a high possibility that others have me these three conditions," Hermione finished. "But it goes further than that because we can't be sure of their allegiance. The terms as I've defined them are very loose," she went on. "You, Voldemort and Dumbledore, and even then there are exceptions because I find it entirely unlikely that you could have met the conditions."

"I did," I told them. "The series of events are complicated and there was a lot of loophole abuse, but Voldemort killed me and I came back to life."

The pair were looking at me with gobsmacked expression, not that I blamed them. There were some people even in my timeline that hadn't entirely believed I had been killed by Voldemort. Some even going so far as citing that none of the people who'd been present during my death could be trusted—then again those were also the people who thought I had fought Voldemort to become the next Dark Lord.

"That's impossible," said Dudley. "Dumbledore told me no one could come back from the dead." Dudley's voice hitched. "I asked. Even broke into the Department of Mysteries and even there, there was nothing that could do that."

"Like I said. Old, complicated magic and a lot of loophole abuse," I said. "Anyway the important part is that I met that restriction. I died for others and in a way to free myself." I could see that Hermione wanted to ask a question but she visibly stalled herself. "I was never actually invited into the Order but Dumbledore was like a grandfather to me. And ultimately I killed Voldemort."

Hermione nodded. "The conditions are still loose though," she said. "I propose we make a list. Clear points of each other's timelines so that we can see any deviations which weren't caused by us and how we might track them back."

"Something we'll have to do at home," said Dudley, gesturing with his head. I looked back and Aunt Petunia was striding down the aisle with an irate expression on her.

"Can we meet again?" I said to Hermione. "Tomorrow perhaps? Our wand cases were spelled shut and we'll need someone to open the for us."

"Sure," said Hermione just as Aunt Petunia arrived.

"Dudley. Harry. I thought I told you to wait at the door," she said, her eyes taking in the entire situation.

"Mom," said Dudley. "This is Hermione," he said with excitement in his voice. "She's going to be going to Hogwarts too in a month. Harry and I saw her and started talking, and we didn't look at the time. I'm sorry mommy," he said.

Aunt Petunia's expression melted and she let out another exasperated breath before she shook her head. "It's already Duddi—Dudley," she said looking at Hermione. I got the impressions she was stalling the urge to use her nickname of him. "But we have to get home. You wouldn't want to miss spending the day with your Uncle Lupin, now would you?"

"No. Uncle Lupin's the coolest," said Dudley with enough enthusiasm that I thought I might be watching Lily or Sirius. It was honestly something to watch.

"Yes," said Aunt Petunia with a small smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you Hermione."

"My pleasure as well, Mrs Dursley," said Hermione.

Aunt Petunia's expression slipped, sadness flickering through her eyes before she pushed it back. She swallowed, smiled and then took Dudley's shoulder and gently eased him towards the door. Hermione gave me a questioning look at which I shrugged before I followed my cousin and aunt.

She was quiet through the short journey through the Floo Terminal. It was an even quicker spin through various houses before I arrived with a lurch in our own house. I stepped forward, brushing off the excess Floo powder off my being. Aunt Petunia stepped through a moment later just as Remus Lupin stepped into the living room.

I stopped short as I stared at him, my mind stopping and barrier crafted by time beginning to waver and break. He'd died in my timeline, leaving his son behind whom I'd raised as my own to the best of my ability. Teddy had been the best parts of both his mother and father, but even with Teddy around I had still missed Remus; the link I had known the longest of my mother and father's friends.

All my adult mind and reservations were stripped in that moment as I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around Remus' waist. The man gave a chuckle as he returned the hug, he asked something I couldn't quite hear and said it again so that Aunt Petunia returned, "They've both been acting rather strange the entire day."

"Well," said Remus. "If you're done crushing my ribs, Harry. Then we can take the brooms out and get a game going before I have to return to work," he said with mirth in his voice.

I nodded and ran up the stairs to my room, feeling a little bit of embarrassment that I had allowed myself to breakdown like that. More so since I could feel a hitch at the back of my throat and tears threatening to fall. I locked my door and allowed myself a long moment to calm down before I started looking for my broom.

I found it in my closet and pulled it out. It wasn't the Nimbus 2000 but I got the sense that this thing was fast, even with how much shorter it was than the standard adult broom. I grabbed the thing and opened the door to find my own school supplies on the floor.

I stowed them in my closet before starting downstairs. Dudley and Remus were already in the air when I arrived and as I got on my broom, I noticed the object that we were supposed to be going after; a snitch that was fluttering just to Remus' right.

"Well, are you going to stand down there all day or are we going to have some fun?" Remus asked.

I grinned, jumping on my broom and ascending into the sky. At first it looked like Lupin was holding back, I could see it in the way he held his broom and even in the fumbles he was making every time he was within reach to catch the snitch. But everything changed in quick order because Dudley and I weren't holding back. I was surprised by how well Dudley handled a broom, even if he didn't have a Seeker's eyes.

After catching the snitch three times without trouble, Lupin commented wryly that we were clearly disregarding Aunt Petunia's requests not to ride the brooms without supervision and we had the presence of mind to look askance. Lupin scaled up the snitch's setting and the game became even more exhilarating.

It must have been at least two hours doing this before we went in for a cup of tea and Remus told us stories about his days at Hogwarts, he even got Aunt Petunia to tell us tales about her experiences of university—something Remus found particularly interesting as he didn't know much about the subjects she'd studied.

By the afternoon the four of us attended a movie in the London and it was then that I started to see the signs: Aunt Petunia and Lupin were _together._

But that was nothing to the news of the evening post: Peter Pettigrew had been found and Sirius' case was being relooked at with the new evidence.

"I have to go look into this," said Remus an ashen look on him as he gave Aunt Petunia's hand a squeeze and then stepping into the Floo.

When Dudley and I were alone I spoke words that made me feel butterflies in my stomach, "Sirius is free and one of the Weasleys is a time traveller."

I couldn't decide though if that was a good thing or bad.


	5. Chapter 5

1-05

There was a buzz the next morning, the Daily Prophet having rereleased news about Peter Pettigrew and the in-depth analysis into the imprisonment of Sirius Black. The story also had a counter from the Ministry of Magic that implicated Arthur and Molly Weasley for secreting away the now suspected Death Eater and that Ronald unravelling the magic of the Animagus transformation was unfortunate chance on their part.

The Daily Prophet predicted that throughout the month there would be many an investigation into the issue and it was most probable that there too would be many a meeting of the Wizengamot to discuss the matter and how to move forward. With all of this going on, there seemed to be an atmosphere in the paper that indirectly discussed the Dark Lord and how it was possible that this might be the precursors to his return.

Most likely it wasn't true. But I couldn't be quite sure because this was the fourth time traveller and they had already acted in an instrumental manner. This wasn't on the small scale and the ripples that would spread from it stopped us from predicting our various future knowledges for anything of worth.

"I don't think we'll get to go to the library today," said Dudley and I nodded, absently running my hand at my chin and trying to think of a clear path to move forward. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know enough that I'm certain about anything," I told him. "But the one thing I'm sure about is that we should start setting up the field so that we aren't left behind."

"I'm not sure I understand," said Dudley. "You were happy about this? But it's also bad?"

"It's bad that another time traveller could do so much in the short time since we appeared," I said. I moved through Dudley's room and took a seat in his desk, it was piled over with his book on the theoretical side of time travel with a particular focus on time travel. "We've been trying to get a handle on things, trying to figure out the hows of it while other people most likely will be trying to act. Hermione was doing it too."

"How?" asked Dudley.

"In her timeline, the media was the main reason things got bad. She was researching that subject and knowing Hermione it's not just idle research. She's most likely planning on building her own newspaper company or something to that effect. Making sure the Daily Prophet's only competition isn't the Quibbler."

"Smart," said Dudley. "Luna's alright. But the things in that paper…" He shook his head. "Even with the war going on they still had time to print about Nargles and other creatures that most people didn't think existed."

I hummed. "Anyway," I said. "They're all doing something but we're on the backfoot. We're reeling and not doing anything when we could be using this chance to stop Voldemort from re-emerging."

"How do we do that?" asked Dudley. "I was always sort of fuzzy on that. I helped in the fighting, getting other Muggles to stand up and fight, but I wasn't entirely clear how we got Voldemort's death to stick the last time."

"I do," I told him. "It's…not something I can discuss in specifics but Voldemort has made tethers so his souls stays on earth. I know what those tethers are and with the right people I think we might find and destroy them, making it easier to kill Voldemort once he shows himself."

"So where do we start," asked Dudley. "I don't think the present climate will give us much room to manoeuvre. With everything that's going on they'll be trying to protect you. Keep you away from harm, which means keep an eye on you."

I nodded, humming and rubbing my chin. This was the irritating thing about being a kid. I didn't have much autonomy, particularly I still had to act like a child. There was the all too simple prospect of telling the adults about me and about the future, but telling the wrong person had the potential of being disastrous. Making them catch on to the fact that Dudley and I were time travellers while they wouldn't have to do the same.

But being a child did have other favourable aspects to it.

"What we need most is our wands," I said. "And we were going to use Hermione to get that but that'll be out of the questions until this entire mess is over. But we're kids who've most probably been taught about magic since showing potential. We play that up. Can you do what you did with Aunt Petunia to Remus? Get him to open our wand cases?"

Dudley shrugged. "It would work better if I had a better image of Remus," said Dudley. "His ticks and all that. But with the little I know about him, I think I could play him."

"Good. Work on that," I said. "I'll start trying to remember locations. That part of my life was something I spent more time trying to forget than remember in crystal clarity."

Dudley nodded and the two of us went to our room.

888

Between my own task and that of everyone else around me, it was a pretty busy day. There was a measure of activity around the house in various people I knew to be members of the Order. They would arrive, speak under the cover of privacy enchantments and then leave through the Floo Network. At one point even Mad-Eye Moody had arrived and I'd made a point to not seam suspicious at all, which might have been counter intuitive because that had led to me pacing in my room a lot.

At some point in the mid-afternoon, Aunt Petunia had left saying she was needed for a meeting in the Ministry of Magic and Remus was to be our guard. It was then that Dudley put on the act.

"How was it when you were about to go to Hogwarts?" he asked, an excited lilt to his voice.

Not exactly the right track because Remus frowned. Or maybe it was because Dudley's falter was beautifully done.

"I—I'm sorry if I said something wrong. I didn't—"

"No. No," said Remus. "You didn't say anything wrong." Remus took a breath. "Life was a little harder then. With me being a werewolf. There was a time I thought I wouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts." He smiled a little. "But Dumbledore pulled a lot of strings, him along with Slughorn, and I had the chance.

"Then, I was happy," said Remus, his smile larger. "I got my wand and my textbooks, and even before I went to Hogwarts I was entrenched in them. Thought I might be a Potion's Master at the end of my career."

"What changed?" I asked, finding I quite liked this thread of conversation. Dudley shot me a slightly irritated look. Had I done something wrong?

"It's something you'll learn at Hogwarts but there's such a large array of subjects that what you originally thought interesting begins to shift and change. I discovered that I quite liked Charms at some point, and then it was Transfiguration, and then finally it was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Of course that branched out even more when I left Hogwarts and got an interest in Magical Laws and Statutes."

"Your parents were magical," Dudley said. "Which means you grew up with magic and spells and everything. Other kids will also have that advantage. Won't that have a bad effect on our studying."

Remus frowned at that. "Not so much," he said after some thought. "Some muggles borns have had a hard time dealing with magic. But that's the reason there are exceptions to the laws regarding underage magic. Allowances for practice." He stopped, looking at the both of us with an amount of suspicion.

"You want me to release the enchantments on your wands, don't you?" he said. "This. All of this, is playing to my sympathetic side?"

I floundered, eyes quickly glancing in Dudley's direction. He looked abashed, shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. I tried to do the same, but I really wasn't the great an actor. It helped that I hadn't thought he would catch on that fast if even at all.

Remus let out a chuckle and pulled out his wand, with a showy wave he said, "Accio wand cases!"

Sounds reverberated from upstairs, doors opening and closing before our wand cases zoomed into the room. Remus started waving his wand in a quick and complicated pattern which I recognised; there was an audible pop and then the boxes were opened.

I was about to jump forward before and take the thing when Remus' wand moved again, another series of spells layered onto the boxes.

"I've enchanted the boxes with a proximity spell and summoning charm," he said. "They'll open in my presence and when I leave, they'll call the wands into the box and close. That will ensure that I'm always around to monitor you when you're using magic."

Sensible, but I was already drawing up the counter spells in my mind. The first opportunity and I would break the spells on the box and rewrite them so that if a scan was run over the thing, there would still be sign of the same spells.

"First rule. No hexing each other. Second rule. Petunia doesn't find out."

Dudley and I were nodding fervently at that. Remus nodded and flicked his wand, banishing the cases in our direction. I took my wand and let out a relieved breath as I felt a thrill run up my arm.

"Accio, spoons," said Remus. There was another reverberation of sound and after a moment spoons came into a room and landed on the small table in front of us. "I've always found charms were the easiest things to do," he said. "Professor Flitwick taught us this one in our first lesson. Wingardium Leviosa," he said with a flick of his wand. Both spoons rose into a hover.

"Now, the most important part is enunciation and the wand motion," he said. "You try it."

"Wingardium Leviosa," I said with a wave. The spoon rose into the air. Remus' eyes widened a little.

Dudley did the same, although slower and with some apprehension, and indeed his spoon rose. Remus' eyes opened a little wider.

"I wasn't expecting you'd get it that fast," he said. "How about something else. A banishing spell. Depulso," he said with a short circular motion.

"Depulso," I said, mucking up the motion and not putting up enough intent behind the spell. It didn't work. I looked at Dudley, putting on the appropriate measure irritation in my features. Dudley on the other hand put too much vigour into spell and the spoon shot off into the wall.

Remus gave a half chuckle at that as he looked back at the spoon. "Accidental Unbreakable Charm," he said coming to a rise. "That's not something I've heard of. Perhaps we should do this outside? He flicked his wand and his book bag followed him as he beckoned us to follow.

We went into backyard and Remus setup a few objects that ranged in mass and weight. Dudley and I had to work on the summoning and banishing charm while he read a series of books and notes. It wasn't the best situation, but when his attention was fully immersed in his book I could do one thing.

"Expecto Patronum," I said and as the wisp was appearing I told it. "Go find Hermione. Tell her that we can't meet with the present climate."

The wisp of blue light speared into the sky, quickly moving so that it was in the sky and gone. When I returned to the banishing and summoning I quickly had to stop because there was a wand to my face and a suspicion look on Remus' features.

"This is the part where both of you tell me what's going on," the man said. "Who are you, really?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," I said, though I could see it in his eyes he didn't believe me.

"You just cast a Patronus right, now," he said. "Something very unlikely eleven year old even if they're talented."

"I—" I had to take a breath. Took a cue from Dudley's guilty look. "I have dreams," I told him slowly. "I think they're memories." His features softened. "One of them is of a stag made of blue light. I also remember the name or title Prongs. And I remember my mother's voice saying it looked a little more powerful since I arrived.

"I've been studying up on the Patronus Charm every chance I went to a library." It was something risky to say, since I couldn't exactly be sure I was a library person, but it was a risk that had to be done. Remus was suspicious, but that he hadn't pulled a wand on me was telling.

I took a breath. "Expecto Patronum," I said with a wave. A wisp of blue light appeared and before it could form into anything I willed it to ride up into the sky. Maybe he'd dismiss the last as a similar event?

"And why didn't you tell me or anyone about this?" Remus asked. I could still see the suspicion but his features had softened too much for the suspicion to win over.

"Everyone tends to look sad when I bring up mom and dad. I thought it was better if I didn't talk about them," I said.

"Oh, Harry," he said, taking the knee and putting a hand on my shoulder. This would be the perfect time to cry but I couldn't act that well. Instead I just looked down. "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like that. It's only natural that you'll want to learn something about your parents, that you'll want to be like them in some respect. It's important that you feel you can come to us to learn about them."

I nodded and then said, "Who's Sirius Black and who's Peter Pettigrew. Really?"

Remus blanched a little but he gave a short nod and started explaining. Not everything, but it was at least something that I was expected to know that the two had been best friends to my parents, but now no one was quite sure since Peter was supposed to be dead.

The act of manipulation made me feel a little guilty but if I wanted to avoid suspicion then it was needed. It was late evening when Aunt Petunia arrived and the two ensconced themselves in a drawing room for a quick conversation. I took the chance to disable the spells on my case and by the time they returned and Remus left, I was free.

I did the same for Dudley, putting up the spells to confound anyone who tried detecting magic on the boxes and even went so far as to transfigure pencils into looking like our wands.

"Now we can figure out how to get Voldemort's anchors," I said.


	6. Chapter 6

1-06

"Quietus," I muttered, moving my wand across my wall. If I focused I could see the slight shifts in the air that showed the spell layering itself. I repeated the spell and added others onto my walls, making sure that no one could hear us on the outside and nothing inside could track our conversation.

"We should have privacy to speak freely," I said. "The Trace though is still a problem. But I'm banking on the fact that Lupin spends a lot of time here that they'll think this is him."

"You noticed too?" asked Dudley.

"They weren't exactly trying hard to hide it," I said. "How are you dealing with that?" I asked. "Your father not being here?"

Dudley shrugged. "I'm not sure what you want me to say," he said. "I'm not sure what happened to him in this reality and I'm sure he's not the man I knew in my own. Point is, I still love him, but I'm not going to hurt mom again by saying anything related to him."

I nodded, letting out a sigh. There hadn't been any news regarding him, but then I hadn't been actively searching for Vernon. It was also possible that there wouldn't be news on the man seeing as he was a muggle with only a thin connection tethering him to the magical world. It was more likely that we would find information about him in a muggle library.

"We have to get to work," I said, pushing the thoughts to the periphery. "There are six if not seven tethers connecting Voldemort to the material plane. I know where all of them are, but they aren't the easiest to get to except one. We'll be going to Little Hangleton."

"The place where Voldemort's father lived," said Dudley. At my questioning look he said, "We had a safe house there for a while. Mad Eye thought it would be a good place to hide and it was for a while." Dudley shuddered. "These tethers? What are they?"

"Voldemort's something of a kleptomaniac," I said. "He collects things with a sentimental value to him and his perceived greatness. They'll be magical artefacts or things he holds dear to him." _Or his mistakes,_ I thought the last.

Dudley nodded getting into a pace, a hand rubbing his chin. "We'll need weapons," he said. "But more than anything, I don't like that we're rushing to act with these bodies. Sure I still remember how to fight but this body will get tired easily, it will be sluggish with all the weight that my brain's used to and Harry, I don't think I'll be able to cast spell in an intense situation."

"You're expecting that we run into trouble," I said.

Dudley gave me a nod. "A great man always told me, constant vigilance."

"Mad Eye trained you?"

"Yeah. He's pretty intense but because of him I was the greatest sword fighter in the rebellion," said Dudley with a smirk. "I remember once that I fought three wizard using nothing but the Sword of Gryffindor and the Shield of the Harpies."

I let out a low whistle. The Shield of the Harpies was an artefact that had been created in the time of the Founders, when there had still been a civility in swordplay and being a knight. There were rumours that the thing drew in curses to fuel its Unbreakable nature. There were even greater rumours that it was one of the few objects that could take a Killing Curse without any damage whatsoever.

The last time I'd heard about it, it had been because of a scuffle between the Department of Ministries and a sect of militant goblins who'd seen the object as belonging to them since their owner had died. It had been close to another Goblin Rebellion until a 'rogue' faction of the Ministry had seen fit to appropriate the shield and sell it in the black market.

"How did you manage that?" I asked.

"I told you, I once broke into the Department of Ministries," said Dudley with abashed bravado. I couldn't help but let out a whistle again, a part of me wanting to see a badass Dudley wielding sword and shield and cutting through curses. Something like that would move the fight for true equality leagues about most of the political going-ons.

I shook my head of the impulse to ask him to regale me with the story, instead I focused on his word. "True," I muttered. "But I have a bad feeling. Those tethers. They can be used to brink Voldemort back. The more we dither in destroying them, the greater chance that they'll be used. Particularly if others know about them."

"Still doesn't mean we have to take undue risks," said Dudley. "We have a month, roughly, before we get back to Hogwarts. There's a maze of underground network there that we can use to enter and exit. In the mean time we can train these bodies to at least have a measure of utility."

I let out a sigh and nodded. "I don't like it," I told him. "But we don't really have a choice."

Speaking about doing nothing for a month was hard. But it was even harder actually doing it. We were lucky in that everyone was busy and didn't pay a lot of attention to us through the workouts and it was scary how right Dudley had been. I'd been granted honorary Auror position because of my lack of education, but I'd still had been forced to go through the two year training requirement.

All of that had been scrapped clean with my mental time travel. I got tired quickly. So quickly. Quickly enough that at first Dudley and I could only train for fifteen minutes for the first week and it had only been a slow growth after that fact.

But more than anything I was scared by the fact that the world was moving on, the deviations growing larger. Malfoy Manor had been attacked and the elder Malfoys killed in the attack. Draco Malfoy had managed to call up an obscure law to ensure that the Ministry couldn't give him a legal guardian—apparently that children had been forced to grow up at a younger age in the past had brought the law into fruition and it hadn't been changed, talk about stagnation.

It was possible that Draco had been the murderer, but there was strong enough evidence that it wasn't that. Dudley and I had been speculating on it and we'd both at least harboured the thought he had the money to be able to do it, and it might have been a move to give him a sense of autonomy.

"We've been thinking of these as deviations," said Dudley one evening. "But what if this is the natural course of this timeline?"

"I'm listening."

"This isn't our timeline," he continued. "We've seen that from the larger scale of events even before we arrived. What if, in this reality, the Malfoy's always died or Ron Weasley made that fumble with his rat? There's just no real knowing if this is all because of a time traveller."

"Unless we ask them," I said.

"That was not where I was going," said Dudley. He chuckled. "Please tell me you're kidding because that's the most stupid thing ever. Malfoy's allegiance has always been flighty. Sure he worked with us some, backed our cause, but he also tried to take power."

I let out a sigh, a hand running through my hair. "You're right. You're right. I'm just antsy," I told him. "I hate that we're so well looked after, that the Order keeps making appearances and we can't make obvious plays about our knowledge. That Hermione and building a newspaper is working faster than our much simpler goals," I said, my words ending in an impassioned fit.

"I think," said Dudley, slowly. "That you're stir crazy." He put his hand on my shoulders. "We need to get out. Setup up a meeting with Hermione tomorrow in the library and I'll get mom to get us there at whatever the costs."

I nodded, summoning Prongs and sending him to Hermione. Of the magic I had been teaching him Dudley still hadn't quite gotten the handle of the Patronus Charm yet, though he could form long lasting wisps of happiness.

When morning finally came I got to see Dudley at work and it was the most brutal display of ferocity and evil that I had ever seen. Dudley begged, appealed to Aunt Petunia's sense of love for, guilt tripped her, thrown tantrums and even through under the belt remarks that had, over the span of an hour, made Aunt Petunia take us to the library.

"You are the most evil person I have ever met," I told Dudley. "I hope Karma rewards you with your own kids one day."

"Who do you think I learnt this stuff from," said Dudley with a sad grin.

A quick Floo and we were walking down the streets of Diagon Alley to the library. They weren't as full as they should have been, but I also noticed that there were people who moved in too coordinated a manner to not be security.

It would make speaking harder, but this was the price I paid for being the Boy-Who-Lived. When we got there, Hermione had already found herself a table and was sitting with two people with her. They looked up when we neared, said something to Hermione and then left with book.

"What was that about?" I asked.

Hermione sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Finding investors is quite the task," she said. "But I've been lucky enough that people are interested in the idea if they're a little weary. It also helps that there's a lot of news that people want to hear from an unbiased source."

"Who've you gotten so far?" asked Dudley.

"I can't disclose that," she said. "The present climate isn't lending itself to people wanting to be known. Between Black and the attack on Malfoy Manor. It's got a lot of people afraid. Thinking _he's_ back."

"We think Malfoy might be a time traveller too," I said.

Hermione nodded. "Thought that as well, but there isn't really a way we can know without letting on that we know too," said Hermione. "But he's practically telling us with the stunt he pulled with foregoing a guardian. He'll be in under more scrutiny than he knows, more hearings with the Wizengamot to prove he's of sufficient maturity that he can run everything being a legal adult entails."

"This is crazy though," said Dudley, "that magical law could allow something like this to happened."

"Not really," I said, this was, after all, my speciality. Not being a lawyer as such, but a knowledge of the law had been a requirement in the theoretical side of my training. Just enough that a raid wouldn't result in evidence being unused because of a loophole.

"The law was created in the really old days," I said. "At least I'm guessing from the discussions in the Prophet. Back then, there was the all too real chance that a branch member of the family could usurp power from the rightful air. Clauses would have been made so the heir could waive guardianship and keep their family's power."

"But it's highly improbable that Malfoy would know this, right?" asked Hermione.

I could only shrugged. "I'm the closest thing to an Ancient House," I said. "But I don't have that kind of knowledge under my belt. For all we know he's been groomed for power since the moment he could make rational thought."

"That sort of paranoia is something I wouldn't put past most purebloods," said Hermione. "Anyway we should discuss how we move forward."

"Before we do that," said Dudley. "We have to discuss the Weasleys. One of them is a time traveller too. From my timeline and Harry's, the Weasleys have always been on our side. Shouldn't we extend a hand to their time traveller? Start working on stopping Voldemort directly?"

"Deal with him how?" asked Hermione. "I keep thinking back to how I killed him and I was exceptionally lucky. I don't think that could happened again, particularly since I don't really understand how Voldemort came back. It was a theory that he used…"

She stopped suddenly looking at us.

"Tethers," I said. "I know about them, though their true name and how they're built is something we should limit."

Hermione nodded. "I had the working theory that he was using tethers," she said. "I tracked them down and found them, losing a good many people in doing so. But killing him all amount to the fact that he felt safe, that he wasn't expecting me and that I was using your cloak. All things that aren't likely to happened again."

Hermione let out a tired breath. "I'm a thinker, not a fighter," she said. "The only reason I fought was because I needed to. But I don't think I could go through all of that again."

I felt for her, ached a little seeing the tired look in her eyes. Dudley and I had rested after defeating Voldemort, but Hermione had been branded a terrorist and been forced to live her life on the run. I was sure, more than anything, she was trying to secure events that she never had to return to that life ever again. And I didn't feel like being the one to make her do so.

"We'll have to keep the path we're running on," said I said. "Find the…Crap."

"What?" said Dudley.

"The Malfoy family had one of Voldemort's tethers," I told them. "What if the attack on Malfoy Manor was a ploy to get the tether? Masking the theft through a killing. People will be so focused on the loss of one of the ancient lines and their youngest boy grieving that he won't investigate the cursed objects and which of them is missing."

"That's a really big jump, Harry," said Hermione.

"But a highly likely possibility with the other highly likely possibility that other time travellers exist and they know about the tethers."

"This means we might be dealing with Voldemort sooner than later, doesn't it?" said Dudley.

I nodded.

"I think," said Hermione, "this might be the time where we tell the Order about everything. If Voldemort's coming back then we need to nip this in the bud before it goes too far."

"But we'll need to be careful about it," added Dudley. "If other people have been hiding their knowledge about the future then they're suspect."

Hermione and I gave nods at that.

"We can give Dumbledore the information about the tether," I said. "He's one of the few people whose been the same in every timeline. I'm thinking a Patronus message of the information. It means it won't be pointed back at us. Unfortunately I can't send it," I told them. "My Patronus' corporeal shape is noticeable."

"I'll do it," said Hermione. "Though it might be harder since I made friends with you two. I have the feeling I'll be watched more often than not until I get to Hogwarts."

"Sorry for that," I said.

She shrugged. "Can't be helped. We're not exactly acting our ages, are we?"

"Not in the least," I muttered. I took in a large breath before letting it out. If this person had the man power to attack Malfoy Manor, then it was also likely that they could have gone to Little Hangleton and taken the Resurrection Ring. I had to take a few more breaths because I had told Dudley we should go there, instead he'd wanted to train.

I pushed that back, pushing out the frustration and took another large breath. There was still a way we could counter this, or at least I could counter this. There were three methods they could use to return Voldemort to his form, one was the bones of his father while the other was the Philosopher's stone and the last was the Horcrux sapping the life of the holder.

Dumbledore and Flamel would be protecting the latte while I had ensure the former method couldn't be used. That meant I had to get Voldemort's father's bone and dearly hope that the thief wasn't stupid enough that he would let himself be subsumed. It was also smart if checked on the ring. It didn't do to have uncertainties where that was concerned.

AN: I feel like I'm moving quickly, but that's to be had with so many people working towards their own objectives. It'd be a spoiler to say who exactly the travellers are but I'm hoping enough people have been suspected that people came make guesses.

If it's uncertain about two weeks have passed between getting the wands and Harry teaching Dudley the basics but I _really_ glossed over that because I didn't want a training montage. Suffice it to say that between Dudley's mental maturity and the thing in his brain that makes learning easier for kids to learns stuff, he won't have trouble with first year magic when he gets to Hogwarts.


	7. Chapter 7

1-07

"Homenum Revelio," I muttered under my breath and waited. It took a short second before the spell returned and my view of the world shifted. The normal realm of colour stripped away and I was left with an infrared view of everything around me.

I turned, scanning and saw the people I had to be on the lookout for. Dudley was in his room, moving through a series of graceful movements while he held something cold in his hands. That would no doubt be a transfigured sword. He would be training his muscles to be able to bear it.

Aunt Petunia was in her study, sitting from the looks of it. No doubt she would be writing her next novel or looking over a meeting with the Wizengamot. Apparently, in this timeline, my defeat of Voldemort—though there were questions around the event—had been enough to earn me an Order of Merlin First Class and along with that a seat in the Wizengamot. Since I was too young to take the seat, Aunt Petunia as my only living blood relative had been given authority to serve as my proxy.

Remus wasn't in the house. He'd told us that he would be working on some paperwork for a werewolf girl that would be attending Hogwarts with us.

I focused on the outside, scanning the skies and beyond to see if there was any of the Order's guards. There were none, which either meant that my spell wasn't up to part, that the Order trusted the wards around the property or that Mundungus Fletcher had been given guard duty.

Whatever the case this was my opportunity. I muttered a spell and disenchanted the barrier over my window. I pulled out my broom from the cupboard and after some angling I slipped out of the window and outside. I started flying in earnest when I was out, angling in the direction that would quickly take me out of the wards so I could Apparate to Little Hangleton.

I was fortunate enough that I got out of the property and appeared in Little Hangleton without much trouble. It was at this point too that I could use more magic without worrying, because even if they saw the magic I was casting it was highly likely that they would dismiss this as parents and their child traversing through a muggle town, or at least I hoped.

At any rate even if that wasn't the case the Improper Use of Magic Office was likely flooded daily with the spells that happened around an underage wizard to the point that they ignored most except for key targets. I had been one of those in my original timeline and no doubt Draco Malfoy was one since the death of his parents.

I hidden my broom under a Bedazzlement Hex before I set off for the Riddle Property on foot. It would have been faster to move on broom, but I didn't know the type of wards that surrounded this place nor the people it could have. I didn't think there would be any, but: Constant Vigilance.

In the dead of night I was one of the few people walking the streets and I kept an eye out to ensure that I wasn't too close to anyone who would enquire about a child on their own. The walk was long and I had to gulp down water a few times out of my flask and rest a total of two times before I reached the gate of the property. It was surprisingly well kept even though no one lived here.

A quick spell and I checked if there were any wards on the place. There were none, the only protection being the large hedge and the even larger deadbolt on the gate. I muttered the Unlocking charm and the deadbolt yielded under the spell.

I walked in, muttering the Human Revealing Charm at intervals to ensure I was still alone. I kept to the shadows, moving through the immense property until I was at its cemetery. I had to search through the entire thing before I found Tom Riddle Senior's tombstone and then I pointed my wand, muttered a spell that blew apart the dirt and summoned the bones.

I kept it raised in the air, focusing on that while running spells to see if there was magic on them. Again there was none. I let the bones dropped, moving my wand and conjuring a bag that I placed the bones within. I was about to start to leave when an idea hit. I summoned roots from the ground and transfigured them into bones that I placed back in the ground before returning everything to normal.

I was just starting to leave when I heard the tell-tale _crack_ of Apparition. I quickly started turning on the spot but a flash of light was already moving towards the sky and exploding much like fireworks; I completed the turn but I wasn't sucked into the tube, instead I stumbled into a brick wall that caused me to stumble and fall backwards.

Not the most graceful way to be found and it was likely that I would be found because a moment later I felt a draft catch at my feet before running up the length of my body.

 _Enemy,_ my mind automatically catalogued. _Untrained in simple Human Revealment Charm. Unlikely to be Auror. Most likely civilian._

I quickly got to my feet but stuck low. My heart was already beating fast against my chest, my jaws clenched and my eyes taking everything.

 _But cast a wide-ranged Anti-Disapparition Charm,_ my mind went on even as I muttered under my breath, casting my own revealment charm and getting an image of the people—there were three in total—that I was dealing with. This wasn't good at all.

 _Remember,_ a part of me said. _Even when you're ahead, you're on the backfoot. Don't make this a frontal battle._

I nodded to myself before summoning pieces of rubble towards me and transfiguring them into half a dozen large rats, each given an aggressive nature that would exclude me in that estimate. I pointed a direction and rats took off at run.

I couldn't apparate out of here but that didn't mean I couldn't apparate within.

I checked with another Revealment Charm and saw that they were moving in my direction, but there was a wide enough distance between all of them that I got the sense they were trying to take me at all side.

 _At least a background in working together,_ my mind catalogued.

I turned on the spot and appeared on the other side of the graveyard nearer to house. I summoned more roots and this time I had over a dozen snakes slithering in the direction of the men and black birds that were flying in the same direction, all of them with the instinct to be vicious but not to kill. The birds even had the mental command to take away the wands of the people.

The spell around the property stopped Apparition and Disapparition, which spoke nothing about physically leaving the property, but now that I was here I was interested. These people weren't likely to be Aurors and I doubted that Dumbledore would send his less trained people to Voldemort's ancestral home. It was more likely that they were agents for someone else with a vested interest in Voldemort's return, something I was interested in finding out.

If it was another time traveller, then I needed to be able to know who my enemies were.

Leaving wasn't an option. I had to take these people down and get all I could about them.

I ran another Revealment Charm, seeing their position before turning on the spot. I appeared just as my first creation struck the group of three. There were surprised shouts before spells were said and lights flashed.

 _Verbal. Non-mastery of non-verbal magic in high stress situations._

I tapped myself, layering a Quieting Spell over myself before I moved closer, ever keeping to the shadows.

"…conjured beasts," I heard a voice say, male and filled with loathing. "Richards, run another Revealment Charm."

"Yes," Richards said, his voice coming out short and tight. "Homenum Revelio," he said and I felt the whoosh start. "He's—" I heard, but I was already on the other side, appearing with a muted pop.

I could see them now, three of them wearing dark robes. They were all taller than me, two men and woman. When I looked at her I had the strong feel that she shouldn't be here. She had a strong maternal look to her, an uncertainty in her step as she followed the two others towards where I'd been a moment before.

 _Clearly civilians,_ my mind provided. _Imperius?_

It was highly possible. Which meant I had to be more careful in how I did this. I kept changing position until the first of my snakes struck. There was a scream and a shouted spell, but just in that same moment my bird descended and took one of the men's wand from his grasp.

"It's got my wand," the man screamed as second before the woman shouted, "Accio Wand. Reducto. Reducto."

I crept closer and pointed my wand. _Quietus,_ I thought, my wand moving to the appropriate pattern. The spell hissed through the air and struck the woman. She stumbled back, her and the men pointing their wands at me and already shooting out curses. Two curses hurtled in my direction but I was already leaving through the tube and appearing to their left.

A bird swooped low and was struck by a blue spell that broke it apart.

"Disenchant her!" one of the men screamed. He pointed his wand at the woman but I acted quicker, shooting a Disarming Charm at the man. The woman saw it coming, pushing the man out of the wand and being struck by the spell. Her wand flew through the air and in my direction. I wanted to catch it but spells were already moving in my direction.

I couldn't use the tube as my exit, too little time. I jumped to the side and landed in a roll, coming up and pointing away.

"Confringo," I whispering and the orange spell lit the night. The trio was prepared, already running to the side and out of the way of the spell. But then I hadn't been planning to hit the directly. The spell hit a tombstone and exploded, let out a small fireball that was accompanied by a shockwave I could feel even with the distance.

"Accio wand," I said, pointing in the direction the wand had landed. I caught it just as one of the man came to his feet and shot a green spell in my direction. I was already ducking to the side but a bird intercepted the curse, struck and bursting apart into rubble.

A Killing Curse.

There was nothing more I could do here. Even if they weren't paying attention using any of the Unforgivables was a red flag that would have Aurors here within moments.

I turned on the spot appearing at the edge of the property. I was out of the gate and running down the street that would take me towards town. When I was reasonably sure I was beyond the wards I turned on the spot and appeared where my broom was. I grabbed the thing, turned on the spot again and got on, making the long trip home.

Even if at least I didn't have the answers, they would be had by the Aurors and that would inform Dumbledore about what was going on. Hopefully Hermione had already sent the message to keep the man alert. Even so at least I'd succeeded in getting Riddle Senior's bones, that method of resurrection was unlikely to be used.

As I was nearing home thought a thought came to me and I felt like such an idiot for not having thought on it sooner: I should have grabbed the ring.


	8. Chapter 8

Interlude: Kingsley Shacklebolt

Kingsley rubbed at his temples, feeling the pit of anxiety which had been growing in his stomach starting to rekindle. He took a breath, letting it slowly out before repeating the process again. It was slow work at first, feeling out the emotion until it was almost tangible, then separating and casting it back into its depths.

He didn't like burying emotion in this way. He wasn't the best Occlumens in the department and his emotions had a way of riling up and becoming more powerful, closer to the surface when they eventually managed to escape his hold. But this time it was needed.

Emotional fatigue was something he didn't need right now when so much was happening.

The case of Sirius Black had been reopened and with it a lot of questions were being thrown around. Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, was starting to take a lot of strain, questions being asked about how something like this could have been allowed to happen in the first place, and why the rules had been ignored. All of this while ignoring the Minister of Magic's own hand in the rushed nature of Black's trail.

The Head of the Auror Corps, quite rightly, was pissed off with the entire thing. But since he couldn't take out his frustration on the Minister of Magic, he was taking it out on his underlings.

Patrols in Knockturn Alley had increased. Visibility of Aurors had been increased. The punishment for Muggle baiting had been increased. Everything with regard to the law had been increased and that meant they worked more for the same amount of pay.

 _If I didn't love being an Auror,_ the man thought sardonically. Right now he was supposed to be at home, enjoying a night of solitude and maybe read one of the books he'd been planning on reading for the last few months. But that wasn't to be because the Head had asked him to work the night shift.

He leaned back, running a hand over his head before he pulled up. He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out an Invigoration Draught. One massive gulp and he could feel a warmth rush through him, the fatigue that had been hanging in his eyes abated and energy filling him up.

He took a drink of water and looked at his case files. Eight in total and most three of them were missing cases. With everything that was going on it wasn't outside of the realm of possibility that _it_ was happening again, that he was back and was recruiting.

But the people that had disappeared weren't of true worth. They were just people who lead normal lives, the only thing of interest being that they were either wizards or witches. A majority of the others were civil cases, a woman that had cursed his husband, a pair that had been in a drunken duel and were now being sued for damages. Things that required little investigation.

He was just reaching for one of them when a paper plane, red in colour stopped in front of him. Kingsley was immediately getting to his feet as he pulled the note open. It was from the Misuse of Magic Department and it connected the Trace: in the village of Little Hangleton a Killing Curse had been fired within range of a minor.

"Furrow, Mulciber," he said as he moved, "with me." The man and woman got to their feet and were following him as he went for the broom. They quickly grabbed them and walked into the Auror Corp's restricted Floo Network.

"Hangleton," Kingsley intoned and after a short spin the were walking out burnt out campfire and getting astride of their brooms. In seconds they were in the air and pushing their Firebolts as fast as they could take them.

"What are we dealing with?" asked Mulciber, the man with a wand to his throat.

"Unknown," Kingsley returned. "But there's most likely civilians and a minor. We handle this quickly and quietly. Take them out before they even know we're here, understood." He got nods from the both of them. "Cloaking on," he said. "Mulciber handle the Anti-Apparition wards. Furrow, you're with me."

Kingsley muttered a Human Revealment Charm under his breath even as he pressed a button to activate the cloaking spells in his cloak. Mulciber's form detached from their formation, moving perpendicular and being trailed by a thin membrane that disappeared from sight the further Kingsley and Furrow went.

They neared the sight of the disturbance but what he could see wasn't what he was expecting. He saw three forms below and only them, no child and no fighting going on. Was it possible that the child and its parents were already dead and they were too late?

Kingsley signalled and they swooped lower. He switched off the spells on his sight and he saw a clearer image. The three people, two men and a woman were digging at a grave, use rough tools but no wands. Kingsley might have thought them muggles were it not for the fact they were dressed in wizarding robes.

They swooped lower, Kingsley and Furrow shooting a series of spells that hit the trio before they could even react. Kingsley descended, jumping off his broom and disenchanting the Disillusionment Charm that was currently switched on.

"Keep yours on," said Kingsley. "Search the perimeter. There are signs of a fight. Find who they were fighting."

There was that pit again, but he pushed it down. Wand alight, Kingsley looked over the trio. They were his people, the same people that had been reported missing in his case folders.

The man moved his wand, conjuring thick ropes that bound the three individually. Kingsley propped them up before he woke them up individually, running his mind across their minds and getting an image of their most recent memories. There wasn't much, the person who had been keeping them prisoner was knowledgeable enough that they had kept themselves hidden.

Kingsley got nothing from them except that they had been trying to get bones from this place. The man looked at the particular tombstone and his heart almost stopped at the name: Tom Riddle.

"Expecto Patronum," he said and the lynx spread out. "Tell Dumbledore that someone tried to grab a Tom Riddle's bones."

The lynx disappeared, a flash of light that jumped into the sky and disappeared in the horizon. He waited, pacing a little until Mulciber was the first to return, landing on the ground and coming off the ground.

"Is this them?" he asked.

"Yes," said Kingsley. "I think they might have been kidnapped," he said. "Imperiused to do whatever they were trying to do here."

"I saw a Patronus," he said.

"A message to Dumbledore," said Kingsley. "Look at the tombstone."

"Merlin's beard," the man muttered under his breath. "Does this mean..?"

"We don't know what it means," said Kingsley. He was about to say more but then he looked left where Furrow was approaching. He continued, "We don't know what it means but with everything that's been going on it's not to be dismissed. We can't afford to let him reach a momentum again."

" _Him,"_ said Furrow. "What—" Mulciber gestured to the tombstone. "Fucking hell," the woman muttered. "This—this can't be real. I thought he was dead. He can't be making moves while his death."

"This is Voldemort," said Kingsley. Both of them stiffened. "We never knew what he could really do and we still don't. I've already sent message to Dumbledore we should expect—"

The comment was cut off by a whoosh and the landing of a phoenix. It spread its wings and opened its mouth, in Dumbledore's voice it said, "There is to be a meeting of the Order tomorrow morning at my home in Godric's Hollow."

The Patronus disappeared.

"Fuck," Furrow muttered under her breath.

"Let's head back," said Kingsley. "Rufus needs to know about this."

The pair nodded before they began preparing the place. They placed wards to inform them if anyone magical tried to breach the property. Kingsley even dug up the grave, conjured a sack and placed them within. After some thought he summoned a few twigs, transfigured them into bones before enchanting them to be Portkeys that would take whoever took the bones to an Auror safe house.


	9. Chapter 9

1-08

Dudley woke me up the next morning for our daily exercise routine. It consisted of running three laps around the property, a task that Dudley said should take up thirty minutes so we didn't have to push our bodies too much. After all, it was less about being fast and more about developing muscles and a sense of endurance. The bad of this was the fact that Dudley had us wake up at six in the morning so we wouldn't miss Aunt Petunia's breakfast.

All other times I would have been able to handle that, but today I was a little tired from the flying trip back home. I hadn't wanted to Apparate too closely to home in case someone perceptive in the Misuse of Magic Department noting the brief disappearance in one area and the brief reappearance in another. All of it added together and I was still a little tired.

When we returned to the house it was the scent of breakfast and an unfamiliar owl leaving through the opened window.

"Was that the post?" asked Dudley as we entered. The pair of us walked to the sink, washing our hands before choosing seats. There were four places open which meant Remus was going to be joining for breakfast.

"Yes," said Aunt Petunia. "A new newspaper, it's letting out its first print for free. The Wizarding Herald, it's called."

Dudley and I shared a quick glance before we took the paper, me scooting closer to read the front page. _Attack on Riddle Manor,_ it started in bold lettering while the front picture was that of the manor house I had visited the night before.

"Mum, did you read this?" Dudley asked, though he hadn't looked up from the newspaper.

"No, not yet," Aunt Petunia returned. She was plating bacon for each of us and before she could see the paper there was a large whoosh from the living room. "That will be Remus," she said.

The paper went on describe that late last night the Auror Office had received a warning that an Unforgivable Curse had been used within range of a minor in the Muggle town of Little Hangleton. Aurors Shacklebolt, Mulciber and Furrow had then been deployed to the scene of the crime—I felt a thrill of happiness that I'd chose to run before they had discovered me, I doubted I'd be able to fight them off—where they'd quickly captured two witches and a wizard who were likely under the Imperius Curse.

Above that there was nothing more to report on with regard to the crime, but the piece went on to explain the truth behind the village of Little Hangleton and the connections it had to _**Voldemort.**_ Of all things the paper had named Voldemort by name, something the Daily Prophet hadn't been able to do even when there had been a certainty that he was truly gone.

A lot of it was speculation, granted, but it was enough that it kept me enraptured.

"Fuck," Dudley muttered under his breath a moment before the paper was ripped from his hands by Aunt Petunia who was looking particularly pale. "Mum, what—?" Dudley started but Aunt Petunia was shaking her head.

"Both of you off to your rooms, now," she said.

"What about breakfast?" I said, but I was already moving. Aunt Petunia moving the both of us gently up to our rooms even as we asked question after question about what was going on. Remus was silent, a soured expression on him as he watched Dudley and me go upstairs.

"Not holding back the punches is she?" asked Dudley when we were alone. We were in his room with the door closed and locked from the inside. I had my wand out and running my mind across every spell I knew, trying to think about any that might help me listen in to their conversation but finding none—the Extendable Ears had made me lazy in learning spells of that particular discipline.

"First print and she's already delving into Voldemort's past," Dudley continued. "How did she even find out about this? It happened last night and it's already in the morning post? I mean I could get it if it was in the Daily Prophet, they both have headquarters in the same building, but her?"

"Hermione's always been smart," I said. "And resourceful to a fault. The next page had something about Sirius. I wish there was a way of getting that paper, get more of a reading of what's going on."

"That's unlikely to happened," said Dudley. "That was mom's protective face. I doubt we'll be able to read any future editions of the Wizarding Herald. Of course," said Dudley, "we have an in with the CEO."

"Of course," I said with a grin. "Expecto Patronum." Prongs flew out of my wand and turned to look at me. "Ask Hermione to send over a another copy of the Wizarding Herald to my place discreetly. We're being watched."

Prongs speared up and through the roof. We waited a few minutes before a light speared into the room and dissolved into an otter. It opened its mouth and in Hermione's voice it said, "Will do. Some stuff has been said. Be prepared."

"I should really learn how to do that," said Dudley. He pulled out his wand and spun it between his finger before getting it into his grasp proper. He took a breath and said, "Expecto Patronum."

Light spilled out of his wand, forming into a sphere before it started to spill apart a brief shape appearing before it spilled apart, disappearing into nothing.

"You're getting better at least," I said.

Dudley grinned, leaning back against his pillows before he looked at me. There was a predatory glint to his sight that shook me a little.

"So," he said. "You going to tell me where you were last night?" I had no time to say anything before he said, "No wait, don't tell me. You were out last night. You're the underage wizard that was there. That's why they found no one except the cursed trio."

"How did you figure all that out?" I asked.

"You weren't as surprised by it as I was," he said. "Matter of fact I expected it." He sat up, looking serious as he said, "They told me stories about you, your school mates. And they always said you did stuff without really thinking. The only person who could stop you from rushing in was Hermione. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Didn't think it would be this soon.

"Anyway," he said. "Did you get the tether?"

I felt a pit in my stomach, a deep guilt that I had managed to forget something so important. Head hung low I shook my head, I said, "I wasn't really thinking about it when I was headed out. I was thinking more about a way to stop Voldemort from reforming. At least one of the ways."

"Did you succeed?" Dudley asked.

I nodded. "Got his father's bones and left transfigured disguises in their place. I'm hoping it will mess up with the ritual somehow. I'm going to burn the bones I have and scatter the ashes when I get the chance."

"Good, good," said Dudley. "At least we can still go get them," he said. "Though we'll have to be on the alert now. With word getting around the people we're up against will be weary of being stopped in the future."

I nodded at that, running a hand at my chin in thought, trying to consider who it might be that was already working to have Voldemort awake so early on. Who could be this loyal to him?

Five minutes passed before there was a knock on the door and Ringo shuffled in with our breakfast. The little elf was quickly out of the room after having served us our meals, muttering about being off to clean the house.

Ten more minutes and the bird arrived, pecking against the window before we let it in. The moment we took the newspaper it flew off into wherever it stayed.

We turned to the second page and indeed this one was discussing Sirius. It stated that with the fact that the man would be released tomorrow it was time to take a look at his history and how eventually Sirius had been arrested for divulging the _secret_ of his best friend's dwelling to Voldemort himself.

The more the newspaper went, the more it went into all the wrongs that had gone into Sirius Black's case and how there was precedence for him suing the Ministry for the blunder—there was even speculation that it was highly likely since he'd been wrongly forced to endure the Dementor's presence for the last ten years. This lead to another story discussing whether Azkaban really needed the presence of the Dementors when examples such as Nurmengard, going so far as to discuss the morality of it all.

More and more issues were discussed. The rights of the Centaurs whose territory in various parts of the United Kingdom were being taken over by witches and wizards. The horrid conditions that dragons in Gringotts were being kept under and other such dreary issues.

Even so there was light in the newspaper: Applauding a Squib that was going through a method that would revolutionise magical communication using a portal version of Floo fires; going into detail over a Durmstrang student that had made it into the professional Quidditch league; and a story about the first openly werewolf student to be attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Now I think I get why you've been antsy," said Dudley. "Damn. But that girl's good at getting things done."

"I don't think she could sustain this daily though," I said. "Maybe monthly? Growing in size as time passes?"

"Weekly would have the best impact," said Dudley. "People would be yearning for more with the first editions still fresh in mind. I wouldn't be surprised if people are already subscribing to this. But I'm more interested in how the Daily Prophet will react to this. It's never had a competitor so bold before."

"The Herald is still new, they'll say. Give it a few weeks and it won't be worth anything," I said in answer. "But they don't know Hermione. Especially with the knowledge that she has. I'm a little excited to see what will happened as this stretches on."

"And Sirius is being released tomorrow," said Dudley. "You must be excited about that?"

"Yes," I said. "I am."

"Your tone and body language says otherwise," said Dudley. He was sitting up. More attentive.

"That's because I wanted to be the one to release him," I said. "Sure he's out and that should be all that matters but he's my godfather. The first thing I should have been trying to do was find Wormtail and have Sirius released. Instead I've been sitting around here doing nothing."

Dudley's expression twisted before he let out a breath. "The weight of the world doesn't really need to rest only on your shoulders though, does it?" he asked. I couldn't answer, looking at him. He continued, "What you're saying is impossible even with your knowledge. You're working to stop Voldemort. _Voldemort._ Above all that he has supporters that, like us, know enough future knowledge that they'll be able to adapt just as we are.

"Even if you wanted to do it all it's likely impossible, that's not even taking into account the restrictions and limitations that we have. If there was a greater laxity in our protection then probably you might have thought of something, but right now, that's highly unlikely. So enjoy this, tomorrow you're going to get your godfather back."

I let out a sigh. "You're right," I muttered under my breath. Pushing back the thought that told me that I had failed Sirius and focused on the future. There was still a lot to be done and feeling guilty would get me nowhere.

"Should we send these downstairs?" I asked when we'd settled into silence, Dudley practising some spells under his breath, trying to make the transition to non-verbal magic.

"Mum will think we're trying to eavesdrop," Dudley answered.

I read over the newspaper again, letting myself feel an amount of happiness because Hermione had succeeded in something and even thought I'd forgotten to get the ring, taking away Riddle's bones was good on my part too. Now it was all up to getting them destroyed before luck reared its ugly head and chose to make something unfortunate happen.

I went through the combat motions I had been taught as an Auror. They were supposed to minimise the amount of time spent between casting a counter spell or shield and offensive spells. After a few minutes spent watching me Dudley slowly went through them, his own motions slow and jerky.

Thirty minutes passed with us doing this before there was a knock on the door. We stowed away our wands and opened the door, Aunt Petunia stood beyond.

She sighed. "Sorry about that this morning," she said. "I just didn't want you to see what that newspaper was saying and I might have been a little too harsh."

"It's okay Aunt Petunia," I said. "We know you're just looking out for us."

"It's okay, Mum," said Dudley getting off his bed and walking to his mother before engulfing her in a hug. Aunt Petunia smiled a little and she looked at me. I could see it, the call even though it wasn't out loud. I took a breath and joined them in the hug, feeling that sense of _wrongness_ that was paradoxical to everything else I felt.

"Well," she said, detaching herself from the hug. "The four of us are going on a little trip."

"Where are we going?" asked Dudley, too much enthusiasm in his voice.

"Remus and I have been invited by Albus Dumbledore to a meeting this morning," she said. "Ministry stuff. But we can't rightly leave you alone with just Ringo." I got the sense that we'd done something to Ringo that Aunt Petunia didn't particularly approve off. "So we'll be taking the both of you along."

"But, Mum," Dudley whinged. "That will be boring."

"No it won't Duddikins," she said. "There'll be others there. At least two kids that will be attending Hogwarts in your year."

Dudley and I shared a look. "Oh. Okay. That will be good then. I can't wait to make new friends," he said with a large grin.

"Of course," she said. "Now, wash up and get prepared."

We both nodded before I left to go to my room. This would be the perfect time to see if any of the others that would be attending were time travellers too.


	10. Chapter 10

1-09

Dumbledore's house was larger than I expected, but in all honesty I hadn't really known where Dumbledore had spent his time outside of Hogwarts back in my own timeline. Matter of fact it had been easier to imagine that he spent all his time in the Headmaster's office.

The house surely wasn't the largest I'd ever seen, but it was large enough that it had a few drawing rooms, one of which was the one we'd been deposited in. I took off my coat and placed and through it in the air—something I'd seen done in some of the older homes—the coat folded into itself before it disappeared with small pop.

"Magic is always the coolest," Dudley muttered as he did the same with his own coat.

"Isn't it just," said a girl who was in the room. Susan Bones. That either meant that she was here because of her aunt, Madame Bones, or it could be because of her mother. I didn't know which yet.

The girl was sitting on a small table with a tea tray on it and finger food, along with her was another boy who had a toad sitting stoutly on his shoulder: Neville Longbottom.

The pair gotten up, Susan moving with far more enthusiasm than Neville until she was in front of the pair of them taking their hands and saying, "Susan Bones, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

"I'm Neville," said Neville. "Neville Longbottom."

"Dudley Evans," Dudley introduced himself.

"Harry Potter," I said.

"Oh I know who you are," said Susan. "And I'm ever so excited to finally meet you. Do you have it? The scar?" She said the last in something of a whisper.

Before I might have been abashed by it, but now the scar didn't have the same weight it had had when I was a child. I raised my hand to my forehead and raised the hair to show it. Susan's hands shot to her mouth, taking a gulp of air in surprise.

I took a step back and looked at her, really looking at her before I looked at Dudley. In that look I could see he had come to the same conclusion I had, that it was all a little too forced, a little too childlike. I got the impression that she was trying to do what Dudley often did with the adults but not to the same level of skill.

She was most likely a time traveller, but could the same estimate be said about Neville?

"It's cool isn't it?" said Dudley, playing along. Until we discovered more we didn't show our hands, even though we both had wands I didn't want a fight in Dumbledore's place. Merlin knew the protective enchantments that were in this property.

We followed Susan bones to the table, pouring our own cups of tea before settling.

"So," Susan began, "which Houses do you guys want to go to? Neville and I were discussing it and I was telling him how interested I was in Hufflepuff. I know it doesn't get the same accolades as the other Houses but the hardworking are more oft than not sorted into House Hufflepuff."

"Gryffindor for me," said Neville said. "Both my parents were sorted there. I'm hoping to start something of a family tradition."

The pair looked between the both of us, though their eyes stayed more on me than my cousin. "I don't know," I said. "I'd be okay with any House to be honest. It's not the House that makes the man."

"Even Slytherin?" Neville asked and I might have been imaging it, but there was a peculiar alertness as he asked that question. I mentally shook my head. If I was really look for it, then I could find a reason for any of them to be time travellers.

"Even Slytherin," I said. "I know the saying, _there isn't a single witch or wizard who went bad who hasn't been in Slytherin._ But that's not exactly true is it? There were many people in the other houses who served under Voldemort that weren't in Slytherin House."

"I suppose that's true," said Susan. "But you're the Boy-Who-Lived, isn't it like your destiny or something to go to Gryffindor?"

I didn't answer, instead shrugging. I didn't have the same biases now I'd had as a kid and I honestly didn't know which of the houses I would choose.

"I want Gryffindor," said Dudley. "Because bravery is something I have in spades."

"How would you know when you're just a kid?" said Susan. "You haven't exactly done anything that would be termed as brave."

"You're right," said Dudley, squinting and tilting his head to the side as he scratched his chin. "But I think I'm brave and that's worth something at least. It beats being hardworking anyway, that's not exactly something that takes strength of will to achieve."

"It's a good character trait either way," said Susan with an exaggerated huff and a cross of her hands.

"What do you guys thing is going on, anyway?" asked Neville. "Why the meeting?"

"Maybe it's Sirius Black," said Susan. "My Auntie doesn't really believe what's been going on about him being innocent," she confided. "But she says there are rules and they need to be followed."

"How does she explain away that they found Peter Pettigrew?" asked Neville. "Grandmother thought it was a golem at first before Dumbledore mentioned he was part of the team that tested Pettigrew's blood. It's the real him."

Susan shrugged. "I don't know. I was really just eavesdropping when I heard the first part," she admitted. "They caught on to me and when my mother and Auntie talk it's always with an Imperturbable Charm active."

"Uncle Remus likes doing that too," Dudley groaned. "I'm like, why do you talk about interesting stuff if you're not going to share it with anyone?"

"Right?" Susan said. It was almost like the two were riding off the enthusiasm of the other. Dudley mimicking Susan with the Susan doing the same in return. Before I'd thought it an act, but more and more it was looking like the real thing on Susan's part.

Was she reading me like Dudley did? Seeing how I reacted to certain things and toning up or down her act to facilitate for that. Then there was Neville who didn't act like the meek Neville I knew from my timeline, instead he was cool and confident, assured in his words.

Was that because he was older or a natural consequence of his timeline? I could ask couldn't I?

"So Neville. Who did you come here with, your mum and dad?" I asked, ignoring the heated conversation that Dudley and Susan had on the Hogwarts curriculum.

It was small, but Neville twitched before he shook his head. "I live with my Grandmother," he said. "My parents were casualties in the war against Voldemort."

The word was said with a confidence too it, none that an eleven year old should have been able to emulate especially if they had grown up hearing tales about the man. But more than anything Susan's breath didn't hitch, something the wizarding world was well known for in my schooling days.

Again, was this because they were older and stronger or was it a natural consequence of this timeline?

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," said Neville. "I mean. You sort of get how it feels," he said, the words slow and measured.

"Yeah, sure," I said, feeling the pain behind the words edging into my tone. I took a sip of my tea and was quiet, listening to Susan and Dudley who had now switched to talking about which Quidditch team was the best by using various qualitative and quantitative criteria.

Conversation came to a holt when the door opened and in came another girl, she too familiar: Daphne Greengrass. She had an air about her as she walked in, took off her coat and gaily extended her wrist to dramatically let the thing escape he grasp and be taken away by the spell work.

She looked over each of us in turn, grey eyes bored as they looked us over until she was drifting forward.

"Neville," the girl said when she was close. The boy got to his feet, accepted a hug before taking her hand and giving it a peck.

"It's good to see you, Daphne," Neville returned. Every word measured and confident that I felt a sense of wrongness again.

"It's good to see you again, too," she said. "And Susan Bones," she said walking over to the girl. Susan got to her feet, a small smile on her before she gave Daphne a hug and a kiss at either cheek.

Then she turned to Dudley and me.

"I'm afraid I don't know who you are," she said. "Daphne Greengrass," she extended her hand first to me. I got the impression she definitely knew who I was, but whatever the case I took her hand and emulated Neville, giving it a peck before introducing myself.

Daphne showed a little surprise at it, her eyes moving to my forehead before quickly returning to my eyes. As though I wasn't worth any attention she turned to Dudley and expectantly waited for him to kiss her hand.

Susan and Neville hadn't reacted in any oddity in this which made me think that it might be a formality that was shared by all purebloods.

From that point on conversation became a little more stilted. Dudley and Susan tempered down their enthusiasm and Neville was as quiet as I was. Four more kids arrived, though they were from a year higher than us and they knew each other from Hogwarts. They stayed together, discussing things that I had a sense made them sound older than eleven year olds even though from my perspective it was inane.

Three more kids arrived, two years above us and they seemed to think it would be a fun time to impress us without really talking to us about their knowledge of Hogwarts.

Looking at them I didn't have the same thoughts that they were acting as I got from Susan, nor the suspicion that rolled off of Neville in waves. When I looked at them, at their act, how they moved an image of children came to mind while I looked at these three and thought it possible that they were time travellers.

The last child to arrive was Luna who drifted off on her own for a few seconds before Dudley invited her to us and the two and Susan started talking. Again there wasn't that mind that she was older and pretending to be her kooky self. Instead it was as natural as my memory thought it would be for her.

Even though I couldn't be quite sure that Susan, Neville and Daphne were time travellers, I trusted my instincts and with that knowledge more restrictions were being set. If this trend was true, then the people affected by the mass mental time travel were the people that had been in my year at Hogwarts.

I mentally made a list of everyone in my year at Hogwarts and made a note to later put a focus on seeing where their allegiances lay.

The meeting stretched on four at least an hour at which point the doors opened and a troop elves came in bearing trays with confectionaries. It was a short affair after which all of us were moving over the tables indulging our younger selves—the others more than us in this respect.

More evidence that there might be more adults in our midst. But then it was possible that I was using the information around me to future prop up the theory I had in mind. Hermione had said there was a fancy name attached to but I forget what it's called.

Not that it mattered. I needed more concrete stuff to see whether or not there were any adults here and something of an idea hit.

"If you'll excuse me," I said to the table I sat in. "Nature calls."

"Yeah, sure," said Dudley, absently and the others gave me nods. I got to my feet, walking through the room. My Auror training ensured that I could see every glance being shot my way—it also helped that all except my table were sloppy, with too much eagerness behind the turn to 'accidently' face me. I ignored them and I was out of the room.

I pulled out my wand, quickly drawing line in front of the door before muttering the incantation of the Age-Line. Blue mist spilled out of my wand, collecting into a line on the ground before a twist of the wand made the line disappear.

I was just completing the spell when I heard footsteps. I stowed my wand away and started walking through the house, in the direction of the coming footsteps. I turned a corner with childlike heartiness and smacked into one of the taller men I'd ever met.

"I'm sorry," I quickly said. "I wasn't looking where I was going but this house is too big and I thought I would get lost while I'm looking for the toilet and I wasn't paying attention and—"

"Calm down young Harry," the tall man said, his voice just as I remembered it. When I looked up, blue twinkling eyes were looking down at me and a genial smile spread across his face.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore; Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Grand Sorcerer; Supreme Mugwump; and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

Before I had been acting. Dudley had taught me how to seem a little more childlike and though I hadn't quite mastered it, he'd told me that speaking without pausing often helped. But this wasn't acting. Looking at Dumbledore I felt fear, that he could slip into my mind without my notice and pilfer all the information from it or cast me down with the Elder Wand in his possession.

Both were highly unlikely to happen, but there were highly possible even with the knowledge of the future that I had. It was even worse if I tried considering that he might also have future knowledge and his alignment might be different from what I knew—though all evidence pointed otherwise.

"You're—" I started, noticing that I'd been quiet for a long time.

"Your future Headmaster, yes," said Dumbledore. "And frat not, young Harry, you're not in trouble. But I'd make sure to keep that wand out of sight from your aunt. It's not supposed to be in your possession yet."

I felt a chill rise up my spine, my eyes bulging and my mouth drying. He'd seen that? He couldn't have. But then, this was Dumbledore, who knew what he could do, the spells he'd ingrained in his house.

"I—"

Dumbledore chuckled. "It will be our little secret," the man said with an absent gesture. "A prank or two never hurt anyone." He gave me a tap on the shoulder. "The toilet is just down the hall, third door to the right."

"Th—" I cleared my throat. "Thank you, Headmaster."

"Quite a pleasure, Harry," he said and then he was walking off. I stared at him, watching as he passed the room where the kids were in and I noticed as his arm moved in something of a pattern.

There was no reaction, but I trusted my instincts and right now I felt more than anything that Dumbledore knew the spell I'd cast was an Age Line and that he would be wondering why an eleven year old could cast it.

I'd royally screwed this up.

I followed his directions and spent five minutes in the toilet just looking at myself in the mirror, my mind running a thousand miles a minute trying to figure out where I went from here and what Dumbledore was most likely going to think.

Hermione had already sent message of the Horcruxes to Dumbledore. The man would no doubt figure out that a piece of Voldemort's soul was stuck in me, but what he would be wondering would be the amount of pull that piece had in my actions. More than I ever he would be watching me, noting the similarities between me and Voldemort, and eventually seeing which way I would lean morality wise.

Of course this was all if he was good and had no knowledge of the future, or if he was **good** full stop. If he was bad and had knowledge of the future then it was possible that he would try and tempt me, induct me into his side—but then again he could do that even if he was good as a test.

 _He'll most likely have a test in place whatever the case,_ I thought remembering my first year. Maybe a choice between saving people or achieving something I really wanted.

I took a breath and washed my face before drying it, returning to the room. We spent another thirty minutes in the room before a message was sent that the adults were done with their meeting. We started leaving and I watched as it started, there was a ten second lag and then all at once everyone who had been over the age over twenty but still younger that forty—my and Dudley's mental ages—their hair turned white.

There was an uproar from the older kids as the looked at those of us with white hair and I had the presence of mind enough that I could be abashed by it. I hoped that the others would think it was one of the older kids, especially since it was the future first years that had been targeted, but I now had an answer.

Neville, Daphne and Susan were mental time travellers.


	11. Chapter 11

Interlude: Sirius Black

The cell was different than his former cell. It was adorned with comfortable furniture, a lot wider than Azkaban which meant it was large enough to fit quite the comfortable bed. One side was divided off by a thin wall held up by magic, that would be the bathroom, something else that wasn't entirely there in Azkaban. But his favourite place was the little study which held the day's papers: The Daily Prophet, the Wizarding Herald and the Quibbler.

Sirius quite enjoyed the last. The ideas within were farfetched, but it was certainly much light than the Wizarding Herald and devoid of the Ministry bias which lay in the Daily Prophet.

"I'll have to change that when I get out," he murmured to himself. The Black family owned a portion of the holding in the Daily Prophet, not enough that he could do anything on his own, but there was a friendship between the Black family and the Zabini name.

The man allowed himself to grin at the little act that he was thinking about the future. The happiness filled him up, bringing up a new colour to the room: he noticed for the first time that there the colour of distant galaxies on the enchanted roof, that the fires of the oil lamps revealed the splendour of the wood that had been used to craft his study table.

But as quickly as that happiness had come, it was gone and the room was left a single toned black, the fires from the oil lamps casting long shadows and the night's sky only that, the night's sky.

The grin dropped off the fatigued face and a sigh harshly left Sirius' throat. He got up, stretching his legs as he walked to the bathroom. It was on the smaller sigh and only had the bare essentials, a shower to one side, the toilet, a sink beside it with a mirror hanging overhead.

He walked to the sink, opening the tap to wash his face again. He'd been doing this thrice a days in the two weeks since being moved from Azkaban and he still felt as though that place's dirt clung to him. When he looked at himself in the mirror, the face he'd known so long ago was gone, in its place a much older face with gaunt qualities, all of it framed by stringy hair that fell to his shoulders and an unkempt beard.

Another sigh left him and the life that the happiness had invigorated disappeared. He stared at himself for long moments before he started up the shower again, scrubbing off the filth that was Azkaban and the Dementor's taint.

He completed this and went back to the bed, sitting on it before he started speaking, "Harry James Potter." The memory was dim, a baby with black hair and green eyes, a laugh that could have been termed as infectious escaping him. The happiness filled him up before it dimmed.

"Remus Lupin," he murmured to himself. A memory of long ago, time spent under a tree after an exam. He felt happiness again, enough that a smile flickered on his face before it faded.

"James Potter," said Sirius and words entered his mind, _'You could always come live with us,'_ the boy had said without a second thought. The happiness lasted longer than before and Sirius allowed himself a broader smile, letting a chuckle escape him because today he was going to be released.

He kept on reciting names, feeling his happiness grow until he heard a great clang. A golden line started drawing itself to the wall to his left, moving into a rectangular shape that hissed as the door revealed itself beyond. There were men beyond, six in total and all of them wearing the faded golden robes of the Auror Corps.

A man took a step forward. "Sirius Black," he said, voice monotone. "You're to come with us to attend a meeting with the Wizengamot. You are to stay within the bounds of the containment network at all times, moving beyond this will be seen as an attempt to escape. Am I understood?"

"Yes," Sirius answered, though the look he shot the man was one of bemusement. _Why would I need to escape if I'm going to be released?_ He wondered but did not say.

"Come forward," the man said as he took steps back. Sirius did as ordered and stopped when he was directed to do so. Four of the six stood in a square formation around him, a thin, gold sheet of light moving between them before it faded. "Forward," the Auror said and they began moving.

The seven of them moved through a series of halls that looked as though they were made from the earth itself. Looking closer Sirius could see unfamiliar signs and sigils drawn in intricate details through the upper parts of the walls. He couldn't read any of it, but when he thought back he remembered seeing similar but cruder signs on some of his family's Goblin-made goods.

This was a Goblin jail cell? He had to wonder how much the Ministry had had to give in order to request this. But then again it was possible the Goblins had just granted the favour for something in the future, something that was scarier than a request in the present.

"Doors," said the man in the lead. One of the Aurors strut forward and waved his wand. The large doors in front of them closed before and another wave of the wand pushed them open. Beyond was the Ministry of Magic and with it a crowd of people many of which had cameras.

The moment they stepped out there were flashes, no questions asked at least none that Sirius could hear. They moved swiftly past the audience and into the lift whose dimensions extended to comfortably fit all of them.

Down they went until they reached the last floor. The doorway became wider as they moved, shrinking after they'd passed. They moved through another short series of halls before they were walked down another set of doors which eventually took them to their courtroom.

The place was full. One side sat the entirety of the Wizengamot, with Dumbledore leading them at the centremost seat. The other side had the spectators, many of them Sirius knew in passing but his eyes stopped as he saw familiar faces. Remus was there sitting beside a blonde woman who seemed familiar, next to her was a large boy and beside him was Sirius' godson.

The boy smiled a little as his eye caught Sirius, a smile that Sirius mirror and found that the happiness was bubbling up again, giving a different colour to the room. He walked with more confidence until he was sitting in the chair that took up the centre. The moment that he sat down the chains moved but Dumbledore moved, shooting the chair a piercing gaze that made the chains stop their motion.

A larger grin spread on Sirius' face, stretching wider when he looked at the empty seats at either of Dumbledore's side. One was supposed to hold the Minister of Magic, while the other was supposed to hold Bartemius Crouch. The people who'd sentenced him to the hell that was Azkaban without anything resembling a trial.

But then he hadn't exactly been in his right mind back then, had he? All at once the happiness that had accumulated was gone, crushing under the more vivid memories of the bad times: his mother throwing him out and burning off his portrait, hearing off James and Lily's deaths, losing his brother even though Regulus was a Death Eater.

"Sirius Black," said Dumbledore, voice not loud and yet reverberating through the room. The small conversations that had been presence came to a complete halt. "Sitting in that chair before you were accused of a crime," the man continued. "The murder of Peter Pettigrew and an excess of twenty muggles, along with a betrayal that cut deep into this nation's heart."

" _You killed them," he shouted, all his emotion in the words. Sirius jerked his wand left, calling forth a brilliant blue shield before he started stabbing forward. Wormtail's curse met the shield, blowing it apart but Sirius' own spells were moving through the air, cutting the distance between the two._

 _Faster than Sirius knew was possible, Wormtail moved his wand in a figure eight and called forth an angled shield. The spells impacted, redirected towards the ground and when the hit large explosion detonated._

 _There were screams, going even louder as a much larger explosion detonated. Sirius was lifted off his feet, the concept of up or down lost before he slammed into the ground. The world was shaky, edges of darkness drawing in closer while the only thing he could hear was a shrill ringing._

 _Slowly he got up, shaking his head only to have the feeling become worse. He walked towards the large crater in the ground, ignoring the running Muggles or the dead bodies until he came to a stop. He couldn't see the bastard, but he could see his hand._

 _The only thing left of him._

 _Sirius' legs gave out and a mirthless chuckle left his mouth. It maniacal, filled with a wealth of emotions the man himself couldn't supress. He'd lost three of his best friends in the span of hours: James. Lily._ Peter.

 _He tried to stop but he couldn't. He continued to laugh—_

Someone touched him. Sirius was surprised to find Remus had somehow moved from the seats to his side, a majority of the Wizengamot had begun to leave while others talked amongst themselves.

"Here," said Remus. "This will make you feel better."

Sirius looked and in Remus' outstretched hand was a chocolate bar. Sirius took it, biting down and feeling as the traces of the memories started to wind down.

"Someone's here to meet you," said Remus, his voice gentle. "He demanded that he be here today to see you home."

For the first time Sirius focused, looking beyond Remus to see a shorter figure hidden behind the werewolf. Harry took a step to the side, so much like his father and yet with his mother eyes, along with those the same expression of worry that Lily had often worn through much of the war.

Harry smiled a sad smile. "Hello, Padfoot," the boy said, his voice breaking through each of the words and tears starting to cloud his eyes.

"Hello, Prongs," Sirius found himself saying. _Not Prongs,_ he mentally reminded himself as the lines between the two started to blur. "You've really shot up since the last time I saw you," said Sirius, a smile touching his face and the happiness returning.

He took another bite of the chocolate and it helped too.

"I was one the last time you saw me," said Harry with a smile. "And I'm not that tall. Dudley's taller than me."

"Dudley? Dudley Dursley?" he asked.

"Evans now," said Remus. "We have a lot to tell you about, old friend." Remus took a breath, regret flashing through his expression. "For now, it's time to go home."

888

" _This is stupid, Reg!" said Sirius, his voice filled with heat. "Even our parents can see it._ He _is not good for us."_

" _He's purging the Wizarding World of its filth, Sirius," Regulus returned just the same amount of passion in his voice. "You've seen the way magic has lost its potency in the last few centuries. It's because of them, that we accept these thieves of magic into our culture. It's because of people like your precious Lily."_

" _Don't you dare," said Sirius, finding his wand already out of its holster and pointed at his brother. "Don't you dare say anything against that woman."_

 _Regulus looked between the pointed wand and his brother. "You would choose them over us?"_

" _I would choose right over wrong at any time," Sirius answered without hesitation._

" _Then you are no brother of mine," said Regulus. "Leave, Sirius, and never come back."_

The wizard's eyes opened and he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. He was sweating and his heart beating a little faster. Sirius extended a hand, letting the emotion rifled through him before he thought _Accio_ and his new wand met his hand.

"Lumos," he said and his wand came alight. The room was unfamiliar, but it was real with a lived in feel to it. It was a guest room in Remus' house, one he would be staying in before he sorted everything out.

He got up, tweaking wand light dimmer as he scaled down the stairs and to the cooler box. It was filled with a whole lot of food, most of it meat products but there was more than enough chocolate milk that Sirius didn't feel guilty for drinking it.

Three glasses before he began to calm down, the 'dream' started to fade behind the warning feelings that were starting to spur up. He sat on the small kitchen table, letting out another breath before he began reciting his names.

Seven names down and he heard the question, "What are you doing?" was asked with Remus' trademark geniality.

"Coping mechanism," Sirius replied. "It helps me remember the happy memories the Dementors tried to take away from me."

Remus was quiet for a long time before he moved to seat in front of Sirius. There was silence between them before Remus said, "I'm sorry, Sirius. So sorry that I didn't doubt. That I didn't investigate it all."

Sirius shook his head. "There was no reason to believe otherwise," said Sirius. "We really should have told you we made Peter the Secret Keeper. You were one of our most trusted friends and we couldn't trust you with this."

"I just—I was dealing with a lot," said Remus. "Losing all of you. I wasn't thinking straight. I went to very dark places before I finally got my life back together."

Sirius snorted. "You did always have a temper under that scholarly calm of yours," he said. "Remember Aaryn Ramshaw?"

"Don't remind me about her," said Remus with a shake of the head and a mischievous grin. "Still don't know why I let her affect me like that."

"You were in love, Moony," said Sirius. "Merlin knows I've done stupid things one or twice."

It was now Remus' turn to snort. "Once or twice, he says. There was Brook that one time, then that sock incident with that poor pureblood boy. I swear I thought he would be disowned."

Sirius was grinning like a look at this point. "We were rogues back then weren't we?" he said. "But that's changed. I saw the glances between you and Petunia. How long has that been going on?"

"Three years," Remus admit.

"Merlin, Moony," said Sirius. "The two of you are practically married." Remus blushed a little. "Why haven't you tied the knot at any rate?"

"We thought that too big a step," said Remus. "Dudley's been dealing with his dad's death and we didn't want him to think that I was trying to replace him. Of course I think that might have changed now." Remus shook his head. "Kids, they grow up a little too fast."

"From the looks of you I think it might be a little more than that," said Sirius.

"Just Harry and Dudley have changed," said Remus. "Before they were amicable, but ultimately they were two different personalities that more often than not clashed. Now, it's like they've been the best of friends since childhood. That's not to mention that Harry can summon a Patronus."

Sirius sat straight up at that. "How? He hasn't even gone to Hogwarts yet."

"He says he remembers James doing it," said Remus. "The first time he held and wand he summoned a wisp that would be able to push back Dementors—"

" _You are sentenced to life imprisonment to Azkaban," said Crouch._

"Sirius? Sirius are you alright?" Remus asked.

Sirius began reciting his names again. Pushing back the unhappiness with the shreds of happy memories.

Remus glanced at his watch. "It's five. The boys will be awake by now," he said. "How do you feel about a light round of chasing the snitch? The boys are quite good on their brooms."

"I wouldn't mind that," said Sirius.

888

"Really, Sirius," the woman said. "This is unnecessary. Ron's just help to have helped you hasn't he?"

Sirius looked at the boy, a Weasley as any of the others with bright red hair and piercing blue eyes. He was looking down in an expression that Sirius knew as a child. Ron wanted to speak out, deny his mother's words but to do so would mean being rebuked.

The older man grinned.

"It's really the least I could do," said Sirius. In whisper he said, "It might be a good outing for him too. I'm taking my godson and his cousin to Diagon Alley and him coming along really won't be a bother."

"And I'll be there too, Molly," said Remus. "I'll make sure they don't get up to too much trouble."

"Well then," said Molly. "Ron it looks like you're up for a trip for Diagon Alley and when Mr Black offers you a gift, as I know he will, don't ask for anything too expensive will you?"

"Okay, mum," said Ron, looking up and giving a large grin.

The boy quickly breezed through the house, getting himself in order before the three of them were back and Petunia's place to pick up a waiting Harry and Dudley. They spent some time with Petunia, Sirius making faces at the boys, ribbing Petunia and Remus' lovey-dovey nature.

"Okay, then," said Remus. "We should be gone. See you when we're back, love," the man said, giving Petunia a peck on the cheek.

Diagon Alley was a trip. Sirius started them off by visiting the family vault, when he had enough money for the trip they started things off by getting ice-cream. After it was getting Ron new dress robes for Hogwarts before quickly moving on to get the boy's only request: a new wand.

"Okay next we're going to—"

"The bookstore," said Harry.

Sirius stopped. "The bookstore?" he said, aghast. "Moony what have you been teaching my boys?" he asked, his tone even more aghast.

"Well, not everyone wants to just barely make their way through Hogwarts," Remus commented sardonically.

"I did just fine, thank you very much," said Sirius. "And anyway the only set of exams that really matter at Hogwarts are your O. and your N.E. ."

"Yeah," said Dudley. "But what if we want to prank people? Harry and I have been going through the curriculum's spells and there's nothing fun there."

Sirius let out a chuckle. "Well in that case, bookstore it is," said Sirius.

Six books in all that had to do with minor hexes and jinxes while the others ranged from a whole range of topics from _Magical Law,_ which had been bought by Harry, _Weapons through the Ages,_ bought by Dudley and _The Secret to Treasure,_ bought by Ron.

"They're strange aren't they?" said Sirius. "We weren't that serious at that age were we?"

"Well you were," said Remus with a large grin.

"Shut up you," said Sirius, though he couldn't help his chuckle. "But seriously."

Remus chortled, clamping his mouth shut to hold back ice-cream from spewing out. The kids looked between the two of them, stopping their conversation before Dudley shook his head and returned to talking to Ron about the Chudley Cannons. Harry though was looking between the both of them with another one of Lily's looks.

How could a boy look so much like his father but have so much of his mother's expressions?

"Hey," said Sirius. "Heard there was a Quidditch match playing in half a week's time in Wales. What about we go check it out. Our last true meeting before you lot go to Hogwarts."

"I don't think Mum will let me go alone," said Ron.

"Then I'll buy tickets for the entire family," said Sirius. "Don't worry about it. Remus is very good at charming the ladies. Non-platonically, of course," he added when he saw a look pass of Dudley and Harry's eyes.

Altogether, it really didn't take much from Remus before Molly agreed.

888

"This is where your father and I first met, you know," said Sirius looking around. There were throngs of people and animals around them, parents ushering first years towards the train and the older students letting off high pitched squeals as they saw friends for the first time since Summer.

"Really?" Harry asked and Sirius could tell he had the entirety of Harry's attention, as often was the case. It was strange but as much as Sirius had missed the little guy back there, he felt as though Harry had always missed him.

He nodded. "I think I might have had a crush on him back then," Sirius admitted. Harry's eyes bulged a little. "Yeah. Being young is a mess. We were both scared out of our minds leaving home for the first time but we were trying to hide it from the other. Bravado that got us nowhere, really."

Sirius sighed. "Have fun, Harry. Because as much as Hogwarts is a place for learning, the relationships that will stretch on for the majority of your lifetime will start there."

Harry gave a nod before he engulfed Sirius in a hug. "I love you, Sirius," the boy said. The wizard took a breath and focused, cordoning the memory and putting it in a vault. It would be one of his go-to memories from this point on.

"I love you too, little Prongs," Sirius returned. "And before you go I have something for you." Sirius reached into his robes and pulled out a square present. "Anytime you want to talk, and I mean anytime. This will help you."

Harry took it, giving the mirror a teary look before he gave Sirius another hug. Then the boy was off, pulling his trunk and entering the train with his cousin.

"I will miss them," said Petunia.

"So will I," Sirius admitted. "But now we have to start working. I don't want them to face Voldemort when he returns."

Petunia nodded. It was time they rallied people that would change the Wizarding World from within the Wizengamot. Anything to protect their children.

888

AN: I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far. I could have made it longer, started writing down the minutia but I feel like that would have a diminishing effect overall. Next step is Hogwarts where things will get a little more complicated.


	12. Chapter 12

2-01

I gave another wave, a smile plastered on my face. Beyond the train's window stood Aunt Petunia, Remus and Sirius and they were staring back at us with facades of happiness over their haunted eyes. More than anything I focused on Sirius, though, because he'd scared me over the past few weeks we'd spent together.

Most times he would be happy, eyes shining with mirth and an air of mischief but something would happened and all at once that would be gone. In its place only left the haunted gaze of someone who had nothing in his head except his worst memories.

Was that what it was like before? Had Sirius been that miserable but I, who'd been focusing on himself, had been none the wiser to it? It didn't help the guilt which would crop up at time for not being the one to personally handle it.

I lurched forward as the train started to move and I watched as a short conversation was shared between my aunt and godfather. I made a mental note to, at some point, learn how to read lips. There were spells that could magnify sounds but as was always said in Auror training, _it never hurts to learn to do things the muggle way, because as powerful as it is, the wand is still a stick made of wood._

"We'd better find a compartment," Dudley says and we start walking, moving through the halls and past people who stop to gawk at me as we pass. Most of the compartments are full, people who'd taken to coming in early and friends that chose to room together.

We were almost at the end of the train before the numbers in each compartment started to dwindle. The first we can across that we _could_ enter as one with three people, Vincent Crabbe, Pansy Parkinson and another girl that had been sorted into Ravenclaw in my timeline, Su Li. The three of them were talking, with the latter being more animate that Crabbe, but as I passed Su Li turned her gaze on me and I flinched: a sharp and sudden pain had slammed into my forehead, right where the scar was.

There was a reaction from Su, too, a small smirk touching her face as she returned to the conversation with Pansy. I took a breath, pushing myself to move forward while my features were cooled. That could mean one of two things, other the Su had a piece of Voldemort stuck in her or she had a Horcrux in her possession, both things which weren't good all things considered.

Did this have a connection with the murders in Malfoy Manor or was it something else? There were too many Horcruxes out there and some without the protections of the others, for all I know it was possible that the ring also had a play in all of this since I hadn't picked up or searched for it. I'd thought about going back to Little Hangleton, but that was unfeasible with how much my guard had increased since Hermione's news headlines—it was a wonder that the girl could print a daily newspaper with how sparse news could be at times.

Another compartment we passed was filled with third years and though one of them invited me in I chose to forego that, instead moving along with Dudley until we found a compartment with only three people: Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas and Justin Finch-Fletchley. The trio were talking about soccer as we entered, discussing a match that had taken place only the week before. Apparently the three of them had been present, but with how packed the stadium had been, they hadn't seen each other.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Dudley asked the boys. "I'm really not looking forward to walking down more of this damn train."

"Yeah, sure," said Dean. He got up and extended a hand, introducing himself. The other boys did the same and we in turn returned the social grace. The moment I introduced myself there were surprised expression being spread out, asking to see the scar and all of that but I when I looked beyond the surface level there really wasn't much surprise.

But then, the working hypothesis was that the only people that had been affected by the mental time travellers were those that had attended their first year in Hogwarts with me, or at least people that were around the same age as I was. Dudley seemed to be an outlier in the Hogwarts regard and so was Hermione if we thought about age since she was older than both Dudley and I.

Simplified though, that was what we were running with. And as I looked at all of them, I was working with that in mind. That these people were older than they acted to be and that it was likely through their experiences that they weren't the people I knew in my own timeline.

Dudley took up the brunt of the conversation and quickly he set up into a rhythm, speaking with the other boys as though they'd been long-time friends. Watching all of this and remembering everything else I was struck with a sort of jealousy as I looked at Dudley, sure I knew the magical world better than him and I was better with the wand, but he could talk to people where I couldn't.

I spoke a bit, participated in the questions that were clearly directed my way, but further than that I was stuck thinking about the future. Su, Dumbledore, how I would react to Quirrell, which house I would chose, when I would first have a chance to go into the Room of Requirements to grab the Diadem and other such things.

"That's really cool," said Dudley. "Can I touch her?"

"Yeah," said Seamus, he held out his hand and let the small salamander walk down its length before it passed over to Dudley's hand.

"Feels warm. Is it magic?" he asked. At that Seamus gave a nod.

"My mum works for the Department of Mysteries," Seamus explained. "Her particular sect gets things like Sally a lot. People who experiment with animals, trying to create new species. Mum's department mainly tests out the animals that have been created, tests out their threat level and how the ecosystem will react if they're released in the wild. Sally's only augmentation is that she's a warm-blooded lizard and she can't breed with any other salamanders so mum gave her to me to keep as a pet."

"Lucky," said Justin. "I wanted a Crup as my pet and they're within bounds to the limitation size-wise that the school's beholden to, but I'd need a licence for that. Something I can't have until I'm at least fifteen."

"Or you're a legal adult," said Seamus. "Like that Malfoy, bloke. Lucky bastard."

"Lucky?" I said. "His parents were killed."

Seamus shifted at that, maybe it was something he'd overlooked. "Well that was really unfortunate, sure," he said quickly. "But looks at his life now. He lives on his own by his own rules and he's free to practice magic since he's technically an adult."

"That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard," said Dean. "Letting an eleven year old have freedom to practice magic without supervision."

"It's why the law that served as a loophole for him is getting overturned," said Justin. "I heard the Wizengamot has never been more divided on an issue as this. Especially the Ancient Houses."

"Wizengamot?" said Dean. "What is that?"

Justin and Seamus started explaining, with me putting in some additions there at points at how the entire thing worked. The Wizengamot was made up of three types of people: the Ancient houses, which were houses that had at least seven generations of purebloods in their history, the Noble houses, which were houses with people who'd earned an Order of Merlin First Class, and then people with seats because of their position within the government.

The Wizengamot acted as the High Court of the Wizarding World, holding such powers as to bring new laws into place or over turning laws that had become stale through the years. They were the people Remus had successfully convinced into bringing forth a law that prevented prejudices by blood, specie or infliction; something that had gone on to mean that Lily Moon was accepted in the school as the first open werewolf—of course countermeasures had to be taken to ensure everyone's safety.

By the time we finish that particular branch of the conversation the Trolley Lady has rushed through and we're all stuffing our faces—though not as much with candy as I was expecting—and the morning is turning to afternoon.

"I'm going to explore," said Dudley. "Sitting around here is starting to get tiring. You up for it Harry?"

I shake my head. "I've been wanting to practice a spell or two," I said. "I'll keep the compartment, you guys go ahead."

The others nod as I take out a book and start rifling through it. When they're gone I make another Age-Line on the door, but this time making it so that the change it will make will be smaller: a small change in the eyebrows, changing their colour to white before it's gone again and since I'm the only one who knows about the spell I'll be the one paying particular attention the eyebrows.

Not a minute after I'm done and the door is pulled open.

"Harry," said Hermione as she entered, a bright smile on her. She stepped through, her eyebrows switching to silver before they switched back. "I was looking for you, thought we could have a compartment together, maybe talk."

"Give me a sec," I said, pulling out my wand and muttering _Muffliato._ "No one will be able to hear anything we say."

"Snape's spell," said Hermione. "Did he teach it to you too?"

"No," I said. "Yes? Indirectly, maybe. You wanted to speak?"

"I wanted to ask what you thought about the newspaper," she said. "I've started getting subscriptions. Even murder threats that I should stop printing what I'm printing if I know what's good for me," she said in such an excited tone that it was scary.

"And that's good?" I asked.

"It means people are reading," she said. "Next I'll be working on hiring people to man the stands I'll have across most of the Wizarding Great Britain. They'll have to be people who can handle themselves, of course, but that's not going to be too hard to achieve."

"How are you going to pull that off being in Hogwarts?" I asked.

"Patronus until something better comes along," she said. "It's going to take some getting used to with everything I'll be doing in Hogwarts but I've already got ideas I'm going to be running through. How goes things on your side, anyway? Finding the Horcruxes?"

"Haven't had much freedom to go out roaming," I told her. "But I did pull something off that was good. You first story, that minor in the midst of a Killing Curse?" Hermione nodded. "That was me getting something to stop what I thought were plans to revive Voldemort."

"And the bones they found there? They were the target weren't thy?"

I nodded. "A decoy transfigured by me," I told her. "The real bones have been disposed of." Which was untrue, but the first chance I had to get lost in Hogwarts and I would burn the things.

"That's good at least," she said. "About the others. What we've spoken about, have you discovered more?"

"I think Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Justin Finch-Fletchley might be time travellers too," I said. "But I'll know for sure when we return."

I briefly thought about telling her about Su Li, but knowing Hermione it would be a short jump to figuring out how I might know about her either having a Horcrux or a part of her being Voldemort. It was better if I didn't tell her for now, because I still didn't know Hermione enough that I could trust her with everything, just as she hadn't been able to trust Dudley and me with the names of her investors.

Dudley I would have to tell, though, because I trusted him.

A figure passed over the window, looking through before he moved to open the door. I jabbed my wand in the direction, breaking apart the Muffling Charm on the door. It disappeared just as Draco Malfoy ran his eyes through the room.

"So it's true, then," he said. "I'd heard that _the_ Harry Potter was in the train with us."

He stepped through, eyebrows flashing white before they returned to their normal colour. Hermione spared me a questioning look and my expression must have given something off because I could see recognition there. She must have pieced it together.

"I thought I'd look around, introduce myself," Draco continued.

"You're Draco Malfoy," I said. "I read the papers. You made the headline for a few weeks. I'm sorry about your parents."

Draco was quiet, expression set as he gave a nod. "Thank you," he said. "I know you know how that feels."

 _Why does everyone always mention that? Or is it because they're trying to hurt me just as I'm hurting them with bringing it up?_

"My apologies," said Draco. "I don't know your name."

"Hermione Granger," the girl said, extending a hand. Draco took it and gave it a peck. Hermione and I shared a look, my expression projecting that she should just go along with it.

"Granger," she said. "It's not a surname I've heard in a long time. Any relation to the Hector Dagworth-Granger?"

"No," said Hermione. "I'm muggle born."

Draco nodded, putting on a sharp smile. "We need all the need blood we can get," he said. "Keeps us from stagnation."

"It does," said Hermione.

Draco looked back at me. "Well, I just wanted to finally introduce myself to you, Mr Potter. Nothing beyond that. I'll let you return to your conversation."

I nodded and watched as Draco left. "That was the strangest thing I'd ever seen," I said.

"No, not really," said Hermione. "He tried to get into my mind. He knows about us most probably."

"At least we know about him in turn," I said with a sigh.

"I think that's what he wanted. He must have known that at least one of us would be an Occlumens and yet he still went through with his plan. Speaking of which, you should really learn Occlumency."

"I know it," I said. "But I'm not too good at it. He probably didn't get much beyond my shield without a wand, but I still wouldn't be able to feel except if he was brute forcing it."

Hermione shrugged at that. "Well," she said, coming to a stand. "I should get going. Parvati, Padma and Megan are still waiting for me. I said I'd only be a minute."

"See you in Hogwarts," I said.

I lay back as the door closed before getting up and stretching my legs, walking through the small compartment before sitting again. The day had waded when the others returned, the compartment a little fuller because they brought two more boys with them, Michael Corner and Kevin Entwhistle.

We didn't get much time to chat before the train was grinding to a stop and giant bellowed, "First years this way!"

I was amongst the first to arrive and was custom at this point I engulfed Harry in a hug he barely noticed.

"What's this, then?" he said towering over me much further than Dumbledore had when I'd met him. "Who's this little scamp that's got my leg?"

"It's me, Hagrid," I said, a grin on my face.

"Well I didn't notice. The last time I saw you, you were no larger than a bowtruckle," the man said. "Now. Well now you're nearly a grown man, aren't you?"

"We I do have a wand and everything now," I returned.

"Yeah. You do. But I know something you don't have yet," he said. "And I'll show it to you when this is done. I'll meet you once you're sorted and bring Dudley too."

"Okay," I said. At that Hagrid put on his official voice, moving us towards the boats and towards Hogwarts. The trip was short and whimsical, gasps at points and wonder. For some I actually bought it, but I was suspicious that everyone of us was middle-aged or close to it.

All things considered the next part would be the most interesting of all, the Sorting.

888

AN: Didn't do the accent with Hagrid. I'm not going to do accents. Ever. Where they're concerned I'll tell not show because…yeah, accents are a beast to get down on 'paper' and it would slow down the rhythm of my writing.

Next part will be the sorting. Expect a lot of names and descriptions because I'll be going through each and every one of the students so as to establish a list of the first years.


	13. Chapter 13

2-02

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall, towering above us. It wasn't until you were reverted to your younger self that you truly noticed how tall the world was at that age. A new perspective of sorts.

She went on to explain about the Houses and the Sorting, but I only paid a periphery attention to her because in the corner of my eye I could see Su Li and I could almost feel the weight of her presence. Whether that was indeed real or imagined I didn't know, but more than anything this made me thing that I should rush thinking a way of killing her without actually killing her because the wards in the school would not allow that to happen without them being tempered with. And I didn't have any knowledge of how such a task might be done.

"I shall return when we are ready," the Professor finish. "Please wait quietly," she said before she walked into the Great Hall.

There was silence for a few seconds before I felt Su moved. Everyone turned to look at her, at how she strut and the grin stretched across her face.

"Who here's a time traveller?" she asked. Some reacted, but most did not. Su grinned brighter. "All of us, then, noted," she said before looking forward towards the Great Hall.

"Well that's one way to get things moving," Dudley muttered into my ear. I could only hum, at a loss because she'd just out and said it. None of the cloak and dagger that most of us had been using to suss out others through most of the month.

But now that we knew, how were we supposed to act? How did we know each other's allegiances? Did everyone know about Horcruxes? Were they all enemies to Voldemort? Would this be the right time to shout out that Su was most likely Voldemort and not to be trusted?

Everyone was silent, with only Su wearing a confident expression as she looked over all of us. The silence stretched on until McGonagall returned. She looked over all of us and an expression of worry settled over her face.

She cleared her throat and said, "Follow me."

We followed, all of us still silent, ignoring the gazes of the older students around us. We walked down the long path between the house tables until we near the Staff's table. The Sorting Hat sat on a little stool and the moment after we'd stopped it broke into a second that I was sure most of us only half-heard, when it was done the sorting began.

"Abbot, Hannah," said Professor McGonagall and the girl broke away from our group, walking towards the hat. She pulled it up, sat and put it on. There was silence for long moments before the hat screamed, "Hufflepuff."

"Bones, Susan," said McGonagall. Not even a minutes and there was the shout, "Hufflepuff" before applause broke from the Hufflepuff table.

Terry Boot was called next and he went to Ravenclaw. Mandy Brocklehurst went to Slytherin, Lavender Brown to Gryffindor and Millicent Bulstrode along with Michael Corner went to Hufflepuff. There was a bit of surprise from most of the students that Millicent had been sorted into Hufflepuff, but from the looks of it she was accepted into the house without a hitch as the older student enthusiastically greeted her.

Stephen Cornfoot went to Ravenclaw and Vincent Crabbe was sent to Slytherin, much to their applause. A girl by the name of Fray Dunbar went to Gryffindor and another girl, Tracy Davis, was sorted into Slytherin next.

"Evans, Dudley," said Professor McGonagall.

"My turn," Dudley muttered in my ear. "See you in Gryffindor." He started walking to the hat and put it on, sitting staring blankly towards us as time moved forward. A minute passed, two and then three before the hat shouted, _Hufflepuff,_ at the top of its voice.

There was applause from Hufflepuff House and Dudley put on a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He looked at me and shrugged before moving towards the Hufflepuff table. What had happened? Hadn't he wanted to go to Gryffindor?

There was not much time to think about it because the Sorting continued. Kevin Entwhistle went to Ravenclaw; Justin Finch-Fletchley went to Hufflepuff; and Seamus Finnigan, Hermione Granger and Anthony Gold went to Ravenclaw.

Hermione I could get. It was natural that she go to Ravenclaw and Anthony Gold had gone there in my timeline as well, but it was Seamus I was confused about. Was there a facet I didn't know about in this timeline versus my own?

Gregory Goyle went to Hufflepuff while Daphne Greengrass was sorted into Slytherin. Wayne Hopkins, Megan Jones and Neville Longbottom went to Gryffindor and the hat had not sooner sat on Su Li's head that it shouted _Slytherin._

She looked my way as she moved towards the Slytherin House table, almost a challenge shining through her eyes. I would need to keep an eye on her, who knew what she would do if she was left to her own devices.

A girl by the name of Eloise Midgen was sorted into Gryffindor and then, "Draco Malfoy," was said.

Draco walked to the hat and sat, putting the thing on. Ten minutes passed before, "Gryffindor."

There was silence. No one clapped. I doubted that anyone even breathed.

Draco didn't seem perturbed by this, instead he got to his feet, put the hat back and walked to the Gryffindor table where he sat and looked expectantly to the rest of us to be sorted.

McGonagall had to clear her throat before she continued.

Ernie McMillan went to Hufflepuff, Sally Moon to Gryffindor—much to their happiness—and Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson were sorted into Slytherin House. Padma Patil went to Ravenclaw while her sister Parvati was sorted into Hufflepuff and Sally-Anne Perk was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Potter, Harry," said McGonagall.

And then they started, people murmuring amongst themselves as I walked up to the stool and some even moving slightly up to get a better look at me.

I put the hat on.

 _Hmm,_ it started. _Barriers. Well devolved if a little thin. Why don't we put those aside shall we and let me see._ I couldn't do anything before I felt my mind bare and the hat humming again.

 _Time magic. Oh, I see. Brave. Very brave. I sorted you into Gryffindor before, didn't I? But you've changed haven't you. You're more rounded out. Why, if I suggested it I think you'd be open to going to Slytherin._

It was true, but there was Dumbledore to think about. Would me going to Slytherin be the straw that broke the camel's back? Not mentioning how Sirius and Moony might react or much of the Wizarding World for that matter.

But there were also other matters to consider. Right now, beyond everything else, I wanted to stop Voldemort and I was sure of one thing, Su was a part of that. If I didn't keep close to her, keep watching for an opportunity to destroy her, then she could do a lot of damage before I had time to act.

And anyway though the Wizarding World might react badly to this, the people I was most close to would not treat me any differently. After all, this was just a Sorting. It didn't mean I was bad or good, just that I valued certain attributes more than others.

 _Decision's made then,_ said the hat. _I guess I'll just say,_ " **Slytherin!** "

Where there had been silence when Draco was sorted, it was even more so in my regard. But as Draco had done before—though with none of the elegance—I got to my feet and moved to my new house table. I was about to sit next to Su when I felt a sense of wrongness, I chose to sit opposite her.

"Check out the staff table," she said.

I looked, my eyes running over all of them before they stopped on Quirrell.

Right, there was still him to deal with.

"Runcorn, Davie," said Professor McGonagall and he was sorted into Gryffindor. Dean Thomas followed, he too going to Gryffindor after him was Lisa Turpin who went to Ravenclaw and her was Ronald Weasley.

"Slytherin," the hat shouted.

There were no claps except from three people. Two of them even going to the extra mile of being overly obnoxious in their applause to make up for their numbers. Ron shot his brothers a smile and a nod before he sat next to me.

The last was Blaise Zabini and he was sorted into Slytherin House.

After that the hat was escorted back to the Headmaster's office while Dumbledore said a few words _"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"_ before he said we should eat.

I did notice something worrying though. Dumbledore's hand was black.

888

AN: Who knew that jotting down names could be so exhausting. But it's done, people to their houses and it means what it means. Might be liked the direction I'm taking things or it might not. But rest assured I have something of a plan as to the direction I'm taking this.

Emphasise on _something._ I'm not the best of planners.


	14. Chapter 14

2-03

Hagrid shifted from foot to foot as he looked down at me. I could see it in his eyes that he was a little uncomfortable but I also saw the moment when he took a breath and pushed forward.

"I'm starting to reconsider it now," the man said. "Maybe I should have gotten you a snake or something—"

"I don't like snakes, Hagrid," I said with a smile on my face. "Can I see him? Her?"

"Her," said Hagrid, pulling out the cage from under his cloak. I grinned wider as my sights set upon hers, white and wide-eyed looking at me as though I'd just surprised her.

"Hedwig," I said. The memories were there, fighting for the fore but I pushed them back. "Thank you, Hagrid," I said accepting the cage. "I'll make sure to take good care of her."

"Be sure to," said Hagrid. I gave him a hug, extending it until the point that he stopped hesitating and returned it. I hadn't thought of him while considering my decision, but he would get over it. True Hagrid wasn't one of the smartest adults I knew, but he was a good friend with an amazing capacity to love. Something like this was something he would no doubt get over.

"Now I'd better be off. Still got to talk to your cousin," he said.

"Be seeing you. Maybe I'll visit when I have free time," I said.

"I'd like that, Harry," he returned before walking off. He cleared the hall in quick strides before turning a corner, when he had done so I turned and faced my housemates who had different expressions.

Our prefect, though, had a look of contempt about him as he looked my way. "Well then, we should be moving," he said. "I'm already tired of this…" he paused, "display."

I walked closer to the group, making sure to keep at least one person between me and Su. It was strange how pronounced the aura separating the two of us was. I had the strange feeling that if we touched it might mean calamity.

"That was sweet," said Daphne as we walked, turning a corner before descending a spiral staircase.

"Disgustingly so," said Pansy. "But then, the oaf needs all the friends he can get." Vincent snorted at that, a smile spread over his face and eyes shining with a malignant glint—it was possible I was imagining that.

"Hagrid is a friend of mine," I said, taking a breath to push down the heat in my voice. "I'd thank you all not to insult him in my presence."

"Or you'll do what?" asked Su, mirth in her voice. I didn't answer. I didn't even look at her. "No, really, Harry, I'm curious. Me, I'd…do things."

Our prefect gave a snort, turning back to look at us before he kept his forwards stride. Su reached to her side and I was immediately mirroring the motion, pulling out my wand; a quick glance and everyone else except the prefect had done the same.

"Oh, calm down," said Su. She waved the wand and a spell shot out, hitting the prefect who continued walking without any notice. "It's not like I can exactly kill all of you," she continued. "Dumbledore would be on me in a millisecond. Something both of us wouldn't enjoy because I mean _eww how old is he,_ and I'm the wrong gender for the big guy."

"Quieting spell?" Ron asked, ignoring the last comment. I chose to do the same.

"My own variant," said Su. "It's selective. He can hear things just not us. It has a mental component to it. I could teach you if you wanted."

"I have a feeling you'd get a lot out of that than I'm willing to give," said Ron. "This is my first time in Slytherin but I've heard the way we're supposed to operate. That would be giving you too much power over me."

"A Weasley," said Daphne. "Smart. Clearly the world is near its end times."

Ron's hand tightened around his wand before he took a large breath and loosened it.

"Or it means his timeline taught him the importance of social graces," said Su. A quick silence followed. "Oh, right. I mentioned the Nundu in the room. So I'm curious, which of you was it that murdered Malfoy's parents? And let's not kid ourselves, it was one of us. Harry? You're a Slytherin now. Maybe you're something some of a hidden badass and we don't even know."

"From what I remember in my timeline," I said. "You weren't much except a Ravenclaw. I'd say, if anything, this personality shift is odd."

Su shrugged without a care. "Different circumstances groom different people," she said. "Like each of you, I'm assuming." She grinned, skipping forward and turning to walk backward facing all of us. "This year will be interesting that's for sure."

"More interesting once we consider why everyone's here in the first place," said Vincent. "I mean, there's really no reason why we would all return to Hogwarts."

"Except we didn't all, did we?" said Tracy. "I remember my year being larger than thirty-nine students."

Su hummed and I noticed that I was mentally doing the same. "Grander plans than us, no doubt," she said. "Wonder how they're dealing with restrictions. Wonder what they've been doing all this time? But then again I'm wondering what you lot have been doing all the time since you first got here. I'm guessing none is going to volunteer that, will they?"

"Well we know what Weasley's been up to," said Theodore. "He released Black. At least we can say that we have a rough idea which side he leans."

There was silence at that, every set of eyes on Ron whose shoulders squared a little.

"And yet he still chose to be here," said Blaise, speaking for the first time. I couldn't help but feel that there was a presence to his voice. I looked at him and the way he walked and talked reminded me a little of this timeline's Neville, a dignitary of sorts hidden in a child's body.

"Fuck this is great," said Su. "Adversaries that might actually give me a run for my money," she said with excitement and glee. I had to stop and really look at her. Could she really have a piece of Voldemort's soul when she was that emotive? Voldemort didn't strike me as a man that would grin as much as Su was.

But then again, I'd only known him through his psychopathic phase.

"There's also one thing I think we're not considering," said Daphne. When she spoke she garnered attention. I even saw our prefect glance behind to us for a moment before he led us into the dungeons proper.

"The other houses," Daphne continued. "They'll obviously be plotting against us. We are Slytherin, after all. They'll think they know us better than ourselves."

"Do you want us to ally?" asked Pansy.

"Is there another choice?" Daphne asked. "We're smart, true, but we don't have the genius of the Ravenclaws, and we won't have the comradery that will no doubt develop between all the students in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Being allies is the only sensible choice."

"All well and good until our goals don't align," said Blaise.

"Then we'll stab each other in the back when it comes to it," said Su. "It's the Slytherin thing to do."

"I'd rather not," I said. "It's easier to know that we're enemies so I can constantly watch my back than waste energy trying to act as though I've been lulled into a false sense of security. I'll manage on my own."

"Or you'll manage with the other houses," said Mandy. "Your mudblood cousin's in Hufflepuff. He can work them for you so they believe that this is what it really is, an act."

"Dudley is my family," I said. "And I'll thank you not to ever call him a mudblood again."

"Or you'll what?" asked Su. "I'm really interested."

I looked at her and then looked at Mandy before looking back at Su. _"I'll do stuff,"_ I said and it earned the appropriate reaction because a majority of my year mates stopped in their tracks.

Su only continued to grin wider. _"You've played your hand,"_ she said.

" _I have other hands to play and they all knew most likely."_

" _True, true,"_ she returned. _"But you've forced my hand too."_

" _Consider that thank you for revealing everyone. It worked against my own plans for the future."_

" _Then consider us even,"_ she said.

"Okay," said our prefect and he started to turn. In the small space of a second that it took him to do so, Su moved her wand and hit him with a counter curse while the rest of us stowed our wands back in our robes.

"First thing's first. Slytherin isn't like the other houses," he said. "Here we reward families that have achieved something of their lives further than just lucking out in being born with the right blood. The criteria to this extends both within Hogwarts and out, looking at every family in depth so they are treated with the proper respect.

"What does that mean to you lot?" he said. "Well, if you're a legacy then you'll know that there are two private rooms per gender and these rooms will be swapped around per quarter to those deserving. But right now a selection has already made to the people who'll get their private rooms and those who'll be sharing.

"For the boys, Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini," the prefect said. "And for the girl, Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson. The rest of you will be sharing rooms. But if you work hard enough, earn good grades throughout the year and earn a high number of house points, you might displace some of the more lacking in that regard.

"Now," he said. "For the password." He turned to a doorway set in stone and said, "Purebloods."

"Which none of us are except Weasley," I muttered under my breath.

The prefect turned to look at me at that, an affronted expression on him but my statement was true. It took at least three generations of 'pure' breeding before one could be called pureblood. I doubted he was pureblood.

"Follow me," he said instead as the bricks disappeared and he led un into the Slytherin Common Room. It was as I remembered it, fancier than any of the other houses and with a comfortable yet expensive feel to it. The aesthetic was of dark colours with a low green glow permeating everything.

Further back and I could see the lake and I could hear the sound of the water rushing over us. All in all the sound was pretty soothing.

There were student out and about, chatting amongst themselves in low voices and other sitting quietly writing or reading. They didn't have any of the exuberance that I'd seen in Gryffindor, but as an adult the calm of it all I could appreciate.

"This is the Common Room," he said. "Where you'll spend the majority of your time after curfew is in effect. As a Slytherin you're to show respect to your betters, and in this setting you show that by not being a child and being unruly."

"Betters," Su whispered and then she snorted.

"Follow me to your rooms," he said. He walked through the common room and chose a door at the furthest end, under the lake. We continued down, dark walls surrounding us on either side until there was a fork in the halls. The prefect pulled out his wand and pointed it, muttering a spell under his breath which shot out a bright red light into one hall.

A moment later a girl stepped through. "Follow me, girls," the girl said.

"You lot follow me," said the prefect as he led us into the other hall. We didn't walk far before the hall grew into a large chamber with seven doorways lined up in front of us, numbers drone at the top of each.

The prefect lead us into the doorway with the number one and down that hall it opened in another chamber that had three doors.

"Zabini, yours is to the right," the Prefect said gesturing, "and Potter yours is to the left. You'll find your belongings have already arrived. The rest of you, the middle room is yours. I'll leave you then."

I looked at the others before going to my room. I touched the door handle and felt a sharp pinch that quickly made me take my hand off the door, on my hand there was a short cut that was already closing up. The door opened.

The room was larger than I expected, keeping to the muted black and green aesthetic of the rest of the house. The room was divided too, a small section with the bed and my trunk, another section that had a small table and chair along with a short bookcase in its side. At the back of the room there was another door and on investigation it turned out to be the bathroom.

"We'll have to find you an opening girl," I said to Hedwig as I opened her cage. She didn't move, but then there were only limited places for her to move in the first place.

I got to work created a section for her, turning thin air into stretches of wood branches the climbed up the world giving hold for Hedwig to stay on. The moment I was done, she exited the cage, flying to a thick branch and just sitting there.

I searched the room until I found a large grate that no doubt let in air. The first thing I did was put up wards around the room, making sure that none would be able to see me with a Human Revealment Charm and that no sound would pass through the room.

I stepped just to the side and fired a Reductor at the thick, denting the grate, another Reductor and the thing broke apart. I tapped my face and after a moment all my seat senses peaked. I had to take a moment to get the under control but when I did I could see another grate up the small air hole.

Three Reductors and the grate on the other side fell to the ground.

"I've got to check out where this leads," I said. "Be back in a few minutes."

I took a breath and focused. I hadn't tried it since getting to this world but this was a good as any a time to try it out. I took another breath and pictured my form, letting my body shift: bones shrinking and new bones forming while others disappeared. Feathers grew and the acuteness of my senses shifted.

As quickly as the process started it was done and I was flapping my wings, hovering in the air before I shot up. It was jerking at first, pushing myself to ascend without flying forward or back, but my form was small enough that there was a little room to manoeuvre.

Five minutes and I was out on the other side, the Black Lake to my left and Hogwarts to my right. This would be how I exited, moving to and from school. There were enough towers with open windows in Hogwarts that there would definitely be a way in, but first I needed for there to be less activity.

My route, clear, a plan was already coming to mind: Near midnight I would be making for the Room of Requirements.


	15. Chapter 15

2-04

"Slytherin?" said Sirius, his expression momentarily unreadable. I had a moment where I felt a pit settle in my stomach before Sirius let out a raucous bout of laughter. "Damn it, Harry," said Sirius. "That is perhaps the greatest prank that anyone could have pulled on the entire Wizarding World. If James were alive," his eyes flickered, that hollowness appearing before it was gone.

"If your father were alive he'd be out of his mind with jealousy," Sirius finished.

I grinned at that. "You know, for a second there I thought you might be angry or something," I said, feeling more relief than I was willing to show, more than I had thought I would feel for that matter.

"No, no," said Sirius. "It's not the house that makes the man, but his decisions. I've known quite the few people who've been sorted into Slytherin and were quite good friends of mine. Of course that was when I was out of Hogwarts and the house rivalries had dimmed to non-existence. I can't wait to see what they write about you in the papers tomorrow, though," he continued.

"A lot of unflattering things, I'm sure," I said.

"Disregard them, Harry," said Sirius. "Just know that your family loves you no matter what how you're sorted into."

"Thanks, Sirius," I said. "I should be going to bed, now. I'm feeling a little tired."

"It was good talking to you, Harry," he said. "And Harry, do everything that I would do."

I chuckled at that. "I will. Good night, Sirius."

"Good night, Harry."

The connection running between the mirrors cut off and instead it was just a regular mirror. I got to my feet and put the mirror in a space on the wall, conjuring a cloth to cover the thing in case Sirius activated the connection on the other side without my notice.

Now it was finally time to get preparations in order. I opened my trunk and piled out my clothes, looking for something comfortable, something that I would be able to run in and yet the material would be durable enough that it could at least hold a Shielding Charm. I found a pair of loose fitting pants, my trainers and a large jersey all made of a sizeable amount of cotton.

I started working enchantments into them, a process that took me a good thirty minutes before I was confident enough that the clothes wouldn't explode. But even then I waited for another fifteen minutes to give the clothes some time to settle. If the spell network had been unstable then the entire thing would have blown apart in that duration.

It was close to ten before I was done with everything and I had my clothes on. I muttered a Human Revealment Charm but I couldn't see beyond my room, there were wards put on by the others to block me. It was a pity that the wards to stop the Human Revealment Charm were static because they were really useful most of the time, even if they were frustrating when I wanted to use them.

I repeated the spell but stretched out its range. I didn't doubt that with how far I'd stretched it out, people on the fringes of the spell would have felt the whoosh but I didn't care. It was extremely unlikely that it would be tracked back to me, a first year of all things, but it was likely that the others would be suspicious—which I didn't care about.

There were blotches of darkness here and there, but a majority of the humanoid figures I could see where horizontal without much movement, and those that weren't where in groups or just sitting.

It was truly fortunate for me that there was a grate which led outside and that I had enough privacy that I could go through it, because I had the feeling the Common Room would have inhabitants for the next few hours. This would be the perfect opportunity to move. I didn't doubt that the others would also be moving, trying to achieve their goals, some which might work counter to my own. I had to get the Diadem before others could get a chance to move.

"I should be back in a few hours, girl," I told Hedwig. "Don't follow me, alright? I don't need the others seeing where my exit is."

Hedwig gave a hoot and puffed up her feathers.

"I'll feed you in the morning," said Harry. "And don't give me anything about being hungry because I'm sure Hagrid fed you before he gave you to me."

Hedwig gave me a look, before she turned her head to the side, ignoring me.

"If everything goes without the hitch then I'll bring you some rats, then," I said. "Were you always this high maintenance?"

Hedwig gave another hoot, shaking her feathers and puffing herself to look even bigger. The look she gave said, 'Don't tempt me or I'll peck your eyes out.'

I raised my arms in surrender before jumping and shifting. It was faster this time and less jarring than before. I started flapping my wings riding up the straight tunnel until I was out on the other side. I shifted back into my human form, standing low on the ground for a few seconds while catching my breath.

I was smaller than I usually was in my owl form and it took a lot more effort even flying a short distance, especially when I wasn't coasting the wind. I spent about fifteen minutes resting before I jumped and shifted again, moving further up into the sky before coasting the air and moving lower, closer to the castle.

I scanned for a tower that would give me an opening and I couldn't find it for the first thirty minutes. I had to find a perch and rest for another fifteen minutes, watching the stars above and the movement from the lake just to my left; there were the occasional owls and Thestrals that would fly into the air before returning either to the Owlery or to the Forbidden Forest.

An idea hit while watching them and I took off again, moving towards the Owlery. The flight took five minutes in all and when I landed, shifting back to my human form I felt more tired than I had in a long time. But then this was second time I'd stayed well past my bed time.

Getting into the castle from the Owlery was easier. The door separating the tower from the rest of the castle was locked but a flick of the wand and I had it opened and I was roving through the halls. I muttered Human Revealment Charms under my breath every few seconds as I moved through halls, down a few flights and coming before the Room of Requirements.

I paced thrice in front of the picture of Barnabas the Barmy and the door to the Room of Hidden Things. The room was as I remembered it, the size of a cathedral with row upon row of object that was either damaged or older than I could reliably measure. There were piles of paper in one place, rolls of parchment in others, books and stray bits of wood that looked like broken wands, several rusted swords, a bloodstained axe and other things that could be aptly termed as junk.

I muttered a Human Revealment Charm and my heart started beating faster because there was someone in the room, moving through the rows in the direction I vaguely remembered housing the bust with the Diadem. I started moving, muttering a spell under my breath and making conjurations that were spreading out in corners of the room, prepared to make distractions when it was needed.

I tapped myself, dulling all sound that I made before the first distraction went off, one of my birds bumping into a pile and causing the tower of furniture to fall on the ground with a loud sound. I muttered the Revealment Charm and saw the person stop, moving their left arm before it suddenly jerked up, something with its own heat moving into the air.

Cutting off the connection of the spell I saw an object soar into the sky, circular in shape and moving in the direction the sound had come. The distraction had worked. I continued to ran along an alleyway between two stacks, moving in the direction of the figure when the thing when off. There was a muted bang and light flooded the room, hitting my eyes with such intensity it was like having the sun suddenly turn on in front of my eyes.

I had to bite back a curse as my eyes throbbed, my teeth clenched together and tears flowing freely from my eyes. I closed and opened them, but I still could see nothing beyond but white and dark spots lining my vision. I made sure to stop, calming my breathing until I got over the pain. I kept my eye closed, muttering the Revealment Charm under my breath and getting the image of where the figure was. They were moving further away from the location of the Diadem but still not in the direction of the exit. It was possible that it was a feint and that they were thinking to stop me somehow further from the exit and then double back.

I tested my eyes a few times until I was sure I could see, then I transfigured a trio of rusted swords into large dogs that took off for the exit. I transfigured more stray objects into birds and had them out on the attack, minor pecking and an order to take away the person's wand.

Another Revealment Charm and I moved to overtake them just as the second distraction sounded. The person moved in that jerky motion again, but this time I'd learned my lesson. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting fifteen seconds before I opened them again, moving through the halls in the direction of the figure.

I ran down a corridor between the junk, quickly turning into another and I could hear the other figure running just on the other side. I prepared my wand, keeping low while I ran until I saw one of my bird duck low; there was a flash of light, a blue spell moving through the air and it met its mark. The bird blew apart into a flash of feathers.

This was a mistake on the figure's part because more of my birds descended on him since they knew his location. I turned into a small alley and I could see the figure. He saw me too, Seamus' eyes bulging wide open before he levelled his wand in my direction.

"Lumos Solem!" I screamed, my eyes already closed before the flash of light could hit me. I opened them to see Seamus staggering back, flailing wildly trying to shoot down two birds that were pecking at him and trying to get his wand.

The flash hadn't incapacitated him? Realisation quickly hit. He'd been using Flash Grenades. He would no doubt have countermeasures against that and incidentally similar tactics. If the birds hadn't attacked, then he would have incapacitated me while my eyes were closed.

"Depulso!" Seamus shouted in frustration, raking his wand to and fro without much thought. He managed to banish one of the birds but with it and entire section of the furniture that fell and closed the path between us.

I jerked my wand to the right just as a flash of light came from the other side. The fall furniture barring my path was collected from the ground and thrown into the air, crashes reverberating through the entire room as multiple impacts landed in the other towers beyond our own.

I had to jump to the side to dodge a spell, but I quickly returned three Stunners which met a shield. I saw a ball hitting the ground and I said, "Fumos." A black fog spilled from my wand, covering the space between us just as the grenade went off, giving a muted flash of light that did nothing to hurt my vision.

Seamus was already moving, still not going towards the exit. But then, this was the Room of Requirements, and it was possible it was making another exit. I started running again, jumping into the air and flapping my wings, following his running footsteps.

I saw him and I dove down, changing in the air and crashing into him. The pair of us landed in a roll that ended with me being on top of Seamus. He pushed me off, already levelling his wand at me but I moved to the side, dodging the point-blank Stunner.

"Flippendo!" the spell hit and Seamus was pushed back, slammed into an old looking bookcase that disturbed the pile. Objects started falling and we both shouted, _Depulso,_ pushing the objects before they could crash into him and possibly crush him.

He started turning his wand in my direction but I was faster. My spell hit and his wand was ripped from his grasp and into mine. He made to stand but a thick line of rope erupted from my wand and tangled around him. He lost his balance and fell backwards.

I took a breath as I stood, feeling a little fatigued by the activity. Eleven year old bodies were really not meant for all of this.

"Where is it?" I asked through panted breath.

"Where's what?" Seamus asked, he equally as tired as I was.

"The Diadem. I know you're here for it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "Now let me go, Potter. I have countermeasures in place. I die here and it will be mean hell the rest of you."

"I'm not going to kill you," I told him. "But I am going to search you." I quickly got to it, running through his pockets but I ultimately didn't find it. He had a whole range of enchanted grenades in his pockets and even old looking blueprints on how to create more objects, but not the Diadem.

"Maybe you're telling the truth," I said. "Whatever the case I can't have you knowing what I wanted."

I put him under, modifying his memories before leaving him in that alleyway. When he woke up he would think one of the piles had fallen on him and knocked him unconscious. Hopefully he would wake up when I was already gone.

I traced my way back to the exit before searching for the Diadem. It took me no more than ten minutes to find it. I would stow it in my room until I found a way to destroy it, because no matter how much I trusted my aptitude with spells. I didn't trust that I would be able to control Fiendfyre.

I put the Diadem in my pocket after trying to Vanish the thing proved unsuccessful, for that matter even shrinking it didn't work.

Finished with my task, I made for the exit. The doors opened when I near enough, showing me the other side, where the Weasley twins stood with mischievous expressions on them, wands held loosely in their hands.

"Well, Fred," George said. "What do we have here?"

"More first years out of bed," said Fred.

"Why dear brother," said George. "I think our Prefect brother will be ever so proud of us that we're doing his job for him."

There was so much I hated about this situation but what caught me was, "More?" I looked beyond the twins and saw for the first time that there were two figures behind then that were tied up in enchanted rope.

"This is so embarrassing," said Dudley.

"So, Ickle Firstie," said Fred. "Are you going to fight and lose like your year mates?"

"Or are you just going to tell us what mischief you've been brewing in that suspicious room behind you?" George finished.

"Any other day and I might have liked this," I told them. I could see the pair grinning, hands closing tighter around their wands in preparation. "But I'm really tired and it occurs to me you might have something I want."

"Oh?" said George. "And what's that?"

"My father's map?" I said. A second passed and then there was recognition and surprise. I used that moment to say, "Oppugno."

My dogs rocketed out of the room, already lunging. One jumped into George, teeth barred as it took his arm. Fred pointed his wand at the dog but he lost his aim as my other dog slammed into him. I pointed my wand and sent to Stunners which landed, leaving the two in a clump.

"Now I'm really embarrassed," said Justin Finch-Fletchley who was tied up beside Dudley.

"But in our defence," said Dudley. "They caught us by surprise. Are you going to get us out of here, now?"

I waved my wand, releasing Dudley of his hold. "What about me?" asked Justin but I ignored him, rummaging through the twin's pockets. I found their wands and gave Dudley his wand, with a muttered spell, Dudley vanished Justin's holds. It took a little more rummaging before I found the map and had it opened.

I tapped it with my wand and said, "Su Li." Immediately my heart stopped because the girl and company were in Myrtle's bathroom. "We have to go," I said to Dudley.

"Something bad?" he asked.

"Something very bad," I said.

"Give me a sec," he said. "I have to get something." He rushed into the Room of Requirements, leaving me with Justin who was giving me a strange look. I ignored him, choosing instead to modify the twin's memories. They would think the map had been confiscated by Snape and right now they were just out exploring.

Dudley returned carrying a rusty sword and a battered shield that was so small I doubted it could do much. The moment he was out the pair of us, along with three rather large dogs and two birds were running towards the Moaning Myrtle's bathroom before Su, Pansy and Vincent opened the Chamber of Secrets.


	16. Chapter 16

2-05

We hadn't moved down a floor before I noted a presence with the Human Revealment Charm. I grabbed Dudley's arm, pulling us into another corridor that would take us to our location but our route would be much longer than I wanted. I muttered the Revealment Charm again and my stomach plunged because we were being followed.

"You," I said to a dog. "Stay and guard. Don't kill, but no one gets through."

One dog stayed behind while Dudley and I turned a sharp corner which immediately led to a long staircase. We hadn't cleared one landing before the sound of my dog yelping reached us and then there was the sound of footsteps, again moving in our direction.

"Who is it?" asked Dudley. "Do you know?" I only shook my head, keeping my attention on the running and regulating my breathing. "It could be Justin."

It could have been and I felt a little guilty that I'd sent one of my dogs to attack him if it was, but at this point there wasn't much I could do about it. I raised my wand, pulling the map out of my pocket when we reached the bottom of the staircase and I looked down where our names were quickly moving. Tracing my eyes back to the staircase I could see who was chasing us and it wasn't Justin.

Quirinus Quirrell.

Which was the bigger threat? Su and the snake or Quirrell with the main soul portion of Voldemort? Would I even be able to take him? What would it mean for Hogwarts to lose its Defence Against the Dark Arts professor on the first night since the school opened?

Did it even matter? Quirrell was going to release a troll in the school, something that threatened to kill children. But then the snake was a greater than a troll that could be easily handled. A question struck me though, what were Quirrell and Voldemort even doing here? I hadn't heard anything about Gringotts being broken into. But things had likely moved faster now with the fear that Voldemort was returning, the Order working under the cover of secrecy more efficiently with Dumbledore not being his overconfident self with how he hid the Philosopher's Stone.

He hadn't even mentioned anything about the third floor.

"Stop," I said to Dudley. "We're about to fight an older wizard. Quirrell. He has a part of Voldemort in him. Do you think you can take it?"

Dudley gave a nod as we stopped. "Make sure you don't hit me," he said. "I like to fight up close."

I nodded, forcing myself to calm down and waiting as the footsteps got louder. We didn't have to wait long before the man was striding down the last of the stairs, appearing under the low light of the lamps on either side of the hall with a peculiar expression on him.

"Ah," he started. "Mr Potter. I thought I'd sensed one of you near me... And you have another. How is it that you know about my Horcruxes? Unless of course, I'm the dominant personality?"

In the corner of my eye I could see Dudley sparing me a side-eyed glance, a questioning expression on him.

"No," I returned. "You aren't. You were always weak Tom. You should have come to accept that when I defeated you as nothing but a babe."

At my words Quirrell's flickered into contempt before it quickly eased. "But I'm still there. You wouldn't be this confident if you didn't have some of my power, some of my knowledge."

I snorted at that. "You give yourself too much credit," I said. "It's important for you to realise that you're nothing. A bodiless spectre that no longer has any agency in the world."

His expression warped hand reaching into his robes before a wand was pointed in our direction and a spell was flying out. I moved to conjure a shield but Dudley moved faster. He took two steps forward and jumped, batting the arm with the shield to the side and hitting the spell. It ricocheted off the shield and into the wall, all the while Dudley continued to move, landing and stabbing forward. The rusted sword stretched and it would have stabbed through Quirrell had the man not glided back through the air, out of the sword's reach. When he landed he didn't move much, instead he gaped at a Dudley I could swear was grinning as he got into a battle ready stance.

I didn't blame him because I too was starring.

"Yeah. I'm awesome," said Dudley. "But stop basking and let's get this thing over with."

Quirrell's rage face came back and he fired a salvo of spells in our direction. Dudley brought up his shield, batting the spells to and fro while moving his sword to do the same. He spun, elongating his sword at times as he danced, weaving under some of the spells while cleaving through others. I was so awestruck that I did nothing except watch.

"Harry," said Dudley as he jumped to the side, landed in a roll and brought up his shield. A spell hit the shield and it ricocheted off the thing, chipping a wall when it landed. "I'm going to get tired soon."

Right. "Incendios Grata!" I said and a thick stream of fire speared through the air. Quirrell twisted his wand in a tight circle and the fire was sucked into a point, disappearing. "Oppugno," I said and my dogs lunged just as Dudley speared his sword forward, forcing Quirrell to dodge to the side.

The man drew a line through the air, letting loose a purple spell that shot through the length of the entire room. I jerked my wand in a horizontal line and a brilliant blue shield appeared in front of Dudley; the shield and curse met and there was a flash of light that almost blinded me. I heard a yelp from one of the dogs before a deep roar filled the hall.

Quirrell had warped my dog into a bear-like creature with patchy black fur. It raked a claw, attacking my last dog with such force that it was taken off the ground and slammed through a window.

The bear roared, maw stretched opened before it started moving towards Dudley. My cousin took two steps back, moving his shield to bat away a curse in the same instance that he spun, elongating his rusty sword and cleaved through the bear.

Coming to a stop, he was smirking, though his breathing was on the laboured side. Both of us were tired and from the looks of it the same wasn't being said for Quirrell. He was smirking now, that contempt he'd directed our way waning since he was winning.

I didn't like this fight. I didn't like that I hadn't prepared before-hand. I didn't like that I had chosen a duel instead of attacking from the fringes.

 _This isn't how I fight,_ I thought to myself. _I'm always on the backfoot. I have to fight smarter._

"Already thinking of biting back those words, Mr Potter," Quirrell said. "As I see it, you're very close to defeat."

I grit my teeth, feeling frustration rushing through me before I pushed it back. I could still win this. I just needed him to be cocky. Not something that was entirely hard to get where Voldemort was concerned, but I needed him to be more than cocky in that I needed for him to gloat.

And for that to happened, I had to lose while trying my best.

"Expelliarmus," I said and the spell moved through the air only to be quickly dodged. Dudley ran forward, waving his sword from side to side, getting close to cutting the Quirrell only for the man to summon a transparent shield that blocked the impact.

I fired another torrent of fire straight at the man, just above Dudley but he was quick; the shield disappearing and the fire being sucked into a single point again. Quirrell gave an errant wave of his wand and Dudley was taken off his feet, a second later the same force hit me, knocking me through the air and slamming me so hard against the ground that I lost hold of my wand.

Pain lanced up my arm, but it was nothing compared to the hammer that slammed into my scar. I heard motion and I turned to look at Dudley, he was getting up, preparing to charge forward when he noticed my expression.

'Run,' I mouthed. He shook his head but I glared. 'Have plan.' "Run," I said aloud. Dudley looked past me before he was running, turning into a door and his footsteps disappearing a second later.

Quirrell chuckled.

"Clever boy," the man said. I turned over and he was getting closer. I moved towards my wand but a flick of his wrist and it flew into his hand. He looked it over before stowing it in his robes. He was smirking as he took another step forward, forcing me to skitter back, groans leaving me at the dual sources of pain from my arm and forehead.

"Where's that bravado from before, Mr Potter?" Quirrell asked. "Where's that Gryffindor intensity?"

He flicked his wand and a bit back a scream as I felt a sharp, hot pain lancing up my arm and into my core.

"You know, I thought you had potential before, Mr Potter. When you were sorted into the proud house of Salazar Slytherin. I thought, that I could groom you through the year, turn you into someone who could have been my second-in-command."

Quirrell sighed in overly dramatic sort of way.

"Alas that cannot be," he said. He jabbed his wand and another hot pain lanced through me, as though a current of electricity had suddenly run through me. The pain was nothing compared to the Cruciatus Curse, but it still was enough that I couldn't hold back the scream that ripped through my throat.

"I suppose I'll have to kill you now," he said. "It'll mean I'll have to leave Quirrell's body, but it didn't serve me much at any rate. I feel I'll have more success inhabiting Severus' body.

"You're going to die here, Mr Potter," he said, tone grave. He reached low and took me by the scruff of the neck, raising me in the air so that I met him in his eyes. He was grinning like an eerie sort of grin as our eyes met.

"Thank you, Tom," I said, every word grit out through the bursts of pain that was shooting through my body and searing hot poker that was striking where the scar was. He had a moment to look confused before I struck, my hands moving to grab his face, thumbs going at his eyes.

Quirrell screamed, trying to shove me back but my fingers had dug into his burning face. He pointed his in my direction but I moved faster, pulling my legs up and pushing them against his chest. He stumbled back, the hand at my scruff ripped off as he fell against the ground.

"What magic is this?" he whispered, voice low, dry and filled with fear.

"It's something you'll never understand," I said, slowly finding my feet. He pointed his wand and me as I started running at him but the enchantments on my clothes activated; a shield formed and absorbed the spell he'd shot in my direction.

I jumped on him, putting one hand around his throat as he flailed. He tried to point his wand at me again but I bat the hand back, the force coupled with the magic in my blood knocked the wand loose. He tried to hit me but I bore through the pain, pressing forward as my hands grasped his neck.

The flailing got weaker and weaker as second passed and in minutes he was gone. I'd killed Quirrell again and pretty soon, the Headmaster would be here. I quickly fumbled for my wand before I ran for the window. I jumped shifting forms and diving towards the ground just as I felt a large whoosh of Fawkes appearing in the hall where I'd killed Quirrell.

More than anything I was panicking, because right now getting back to my room was most paramount. The staff would be on the hunt for the killer and I didn't want it to pointed back at me.

I coasted the air, angling myself so that I was back towards the lake and the castle. My mind was running a mile a minute because though I had achieved at least one thing, stopping Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's stone, there was still Su and her machinations which were closer to the fore.

No doubt now she would have already released the Basilisk and I really didn't feel up to fighting it. In the previous timeline I had won because of pure luck and a phoenix, I doubted that the same thing was likely to happened again, which meant that I had to recruit. That was going to be a task.

I saw my little hole and dove down, spreading my wings to stop my downward momentum pretty when the tunnel looked as though it was coming to an end. I shifted into my human form pretty quickly and started moving my wand.

"Expecto Patronum," I muttered, recalling a happy memory. When Prongs formed I said, "Tell Dudley that I'm fine and that he should return to the Hufflepuff Basement. Quirrell's dead and questions will be asked. Don't tell anyone this if he's with company."

Prongs turned into a ball and disappeared up through my ceiling.

After that I let myself fall on my bed. I was too tired to do anything else.


	17. Chapter 17

2-06

A knock interrupted me not fifteen minutes into my fatigued sleep. At first I ignored it, thinking that it might be a figment of my dream state but the knocking came back stronger, enough that I was jolted up from my bed with my wand held at the ready.

"Potter," said a voice on the other side of the door before another meaty thud pulsed through the door. "Potter, open the door right at this moment," said the voice. Older than all of my year mates and most probably a prefect.

I stood up, moving towards the door before I stopped, looking at the damaged clothes that I was wearing. I quickly summoned my pyjamas, putting them on—there was another series of thuds against my door—before I pulled then damned thing open and said, "What's going on?"

It helped the act that I was really tired. I rubbed my eyes looking up at the prefect who had his wand alight and was wearing comfortable looking sleeping robes—I made a note to ask Aunt Petunia to buy me a set. Beyond him were my year mates, they too looking as tired as I was. I had to wonder if they too were gallivanting through Hogwarts or if it was their bodies catching up with them.

Even Crabbe had returned which most likely meant Su had already gone through with her plans, whatever they were.

"You're to follow me to the Common Room," said the Prefect. "Something's happened in the castle and they're doing a head count of all students."

"What happened?" I asked, trying to inject curiosity in my voice.

"Nothing you need to know," said the Prefect. "Follow me. All of you."

We followed, me getting closer to Ron as we walked. "Do you know what happened?" I asked him. He looked at me for the longest time before he gave me a shrug and continued to move forward.

It took less than a minute before we were in the Common Room, all of Slytherin House already having taken up seats around the room. I scanned for the others and saw that Daphne had managed to snag herself a seat while the others were forced to seat on the floor.

"Sit," the Prefect said to us as he continued along, going to where Professor Snape and an Auror I didn't recognise were speaking in the middle of the room. The Prefect and Professor Snape shared a few short words before the Prefect moved to fight the only remaining open seat.

Beside me Ron moved his wand, tapping his thigh as nondescriptly as possible. I moved, too doing the same thing and the world got more vivid as my senses enhanced. I had to calm my breath before I managed to regulate my sense at such a degree that Snape and the Auror were the only people I was consciously hearing.

"…for," Snape finished.

The Auror sighed. "This is one of the stranger things I've seen in a very long time," the woman said. "I thought the school's wards were supposed to stop something like that."

"There are still many aspects of magic that we do not entirely understand," Snape said, his tone almost melodic. "But that something like this could happen is worrying. There are only a few magical practitioners alive that would be able to pull something of this magnitude off without informing the wards, and only one most likely to go through with it."

" _Him,"_ the woman said. "But, he's dead. Potter—" At that she turned quite briefly to look in my direction before she quickly turned to look back at Snape.

"There are still so many things we do not understand about that night," said Snape. "But one thing we can be sure off is that there's a high possibility that he didn't entirely die."

"I dearly hope that this isn't him," the Auror muttered. "I'd better do the headcount and be out of here," she said. "I might be needed upstairs."

"Of course," said Professor Snape.

The Auror moved her wand in a familiar pattern and then there was a small flash of light from her wand. I felt a tingle passing through me before the woman nodded and was walking off towards the exit.

The moment she was gone and the door had closed a student asked, "Professor, what's going on?"

Snape looked at all of us before he said, "Professor Quirrell is dead. Murdered." With those words, he strut out of the room, moving towards the exit. I looked across the room at that, reading everyone's shocked expressions before I finally landed on Su. The girl had a grin plastered on her that told me she knew I was the cause of it.

"Okay you lot," said a girl, seventh year by the looks of it and when she spoke everyone's attention was on her. "We've got school class tomorrow and even with this we can expect that things will go on as usual. That being said, back to bed, all of you."

There were low mutters between the years as they worked and I heard excited chirps from some of the older years since arriving to Slytherin. They were all speculating about who could have done this, going into fantastical theories about how Voldemort might have gotten into the school without anyone's notice. It was perhaps ironic how right one boy I heard was, though he was a little off about the importance on Quirrell in all this.

"So," said Blaise when we'd entered our hall. He waved his wand, directing the tip towards the entrance. "Any idea which of us it was?"

"There were only a few people who could be out of bed without the others' notice," said Theodore. "You," he gestured, "Potter, Daphne and Parkinson. The rest of us have shared rooms and I know these guys haven't left the dorm room. In Slytherin at least, the other houses I can't make a guess yet."

"Not really," said Ron, a frown on him. "I've lost time. I think my memory might have been modified which means that one of you might have hexed me at some point during the night."

Theodore frowned and then said, "Same." His wand was quickly out of his robes and pointed and Crabbe. The boy quickly mirrored the motion only to have his wand ripped from his grasp from a spell from Ron.

"Should we leave them to it?" asked Blaise looking at me.

"I'm interested in this," I said with something of a smirk. "Just remember, there's already been a murder in Hogwarts and anything setting off the wards will attract them to us."

"I'm not stupid, Potter," Theodore sneered.

"I doubt you are, but you are emotional," I said. I crossed my arm, noticing for the first time that my wand had also reached my own hand. "What you're going to do to him should be within reason."

"Let's read his mind," said Ron. "Check what he's been doing and who he's been doing it with. My timeline's Crabbe was never the smartest quill in the set and it's most probable he's working with someone."

Theodore nodded, wand pointed firmer before the pair intoned, "Legillimens."

Vincent resisted I could see it in the way his body moved, head jerking from side to side and sweat quickly forming in his brow before he suddenly slumped. When they returned both Theodore and Ron had pale expressions on them.

"The crazy bastard," Ron muttered, voice low and broken. "Him, Li and Parkinson really Salazar's Snake."

"Merlin's soggy—" Blaise started before his voice broke. "If anything could force us to work together, it should be this," he said. "We all have a vested interest in Hogwarts though I don't know why. The snake being released in my timeline threatened to close the school down. Something I'm sure none of us want to happened."

Ron, Theodore and I nodded. That was at least a shared point in all our timelines.

"Potter," said Theodore. "You're a Parselmouth. Can't you just banish the thing back to its chamber?"

I shook my head. "She'll have nipped the opportunity for me to control the snake in the bud. We should tell the other houses. I have some pull in Hufflepuff where Dudley is concerned but the other houses might be a little harder."

"I have Gryffindor," said Ron. "My brothers are there. I could ask them to send a message to the others without many questions asked."

"I might know someone in Ravenclaw," said Blaise. "I'll set it up. But what about him?"

"Modify his memories," I said. "Make it so it looks as though you guys didn't notice his own deception."

The pair nodded. "I'll get it done," said Ron. He flicked his wand and Vincent slumped, another flick and the boy was carried through the air into their shared room. Blaise and I shared a look before we both departed into our own rooms.

That had been a most opportune turn of events. Su most likely knew I had been the one to kill Quirrell but no one would likely believe anything she'd said. There was Justin Finch-Fletchley to also think about which was most worrying. I had no idea what he would do in the meeting which meant I had to manoeuvre a way to get to him at the earliest opportunity and modify his memory.

It was going to be hard doing that when he was so close to Dudley and the two would have no doubt interacted, but it was something that had to be done or the other Slytherin would unite against me as they were doing against Vincent, Su and Pansy.

Hedwig was sleeping on her perch as I entered and she glared at me when a low light erupted through the room at my entrance. "Sorry girl," I whispered before telling the lights to turn off. I quickly got into bed and it wasn't moments later that I was asleep.

I was rudely awaken again by my alarm clock the next morning. With an overly done groan I got up and went about my morning ablutions before I was dressed and headed for the Common Room, Hedwig stowed on my shoulder as I'd seen Neville do at Dumbledore's place.

There was something I hadn't thought about in a long time. Daphne's parents were in the Order. Did that mean she thought along the same lines? Could I trust any of my fellow Slytherin? I wanted more than anything to trust Ron but my mind kept telling me that he was a different person, something I'd seen while spending time with him, Dudley and Sirius.

He was so different from the Ron I knew that it was jarring to look at him.

"Potter," Blaise addressed me when he was out of his own room. We waited a little and Vincent, Ron and Theodore before we set off for the Common Room. The girls were already waiting for us and with then was a girl prefect who immediately ushered us off to the Great Hall.

Every table was abuzz with low conversation and more than one set of eyes strayed to the Staff's table. It didn't help that a few Aurors were milling around the Hall and one of them, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was seated in one of the chair reserved for the staff.

At some point through breakfast Dumbledore arrived. He ate a little before he stood, gathering everyone's attention without even saying a word.

"No doubt you've heard rumours of the unfortunate act which occurred on school grounds last night," the man said. "It is my utmost regret to inform you all that the rumours are indeed true. Our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell, was murdered last night by an as of yet unknown person. As such Aurors will be moving through Hogwarts for a majority of their investigation and a strict curfew is being implemented from today.

"There will be strict policies which must be adhered to," Dumbledore continued. "Chief amongst these being that first, second and third years will be escorted to all of their classes by a prefect from their houses. You are also asked to always move through the grounds in groups and report any suspicious activity you might see to either the staff, the Aurors or your House Prefect. Thank you all," the man finished and took a seat.

If anything conversation returned in a more frenzied pace, as there were more speculations around the room.

"That will make things harder for us," said Ron under his breath. He, Blaise and Theo were sitting close to me. "Meeting, that is."

"And with the increased Auror activity it's only a matter of time before one of them runs across it," Blaise added.

"We need to move quickly," I said. "Has anyone talked to the girls yet?" It didn't look like it. They seemed to be congregated together with the only outlier being Mandy who was talking to two second-year boys.

The others shook their heads. "We'd better get on it," I said. "Or Su might turn them against us."

Breakfast was coming to an end when the post arrived, owls flocking into the Great Hall. It was a pity that the same couldn't be said for Hedwig, but then I made a note to tell Aunt Petunia about my sorting before the day ended so she could get some exercise in.

In front of me were two newspaper publications. One the Daily Prophet which mainly talked about another meeting of the Wizengamot and in particular the list of people that would attend it: The Ancient and Noble Houses of Black and Malfoy. The Wizarding Herald, though, didn't hold back because it was already discussing the murder of Professor Quirrell.

If they'd been trying to keep this locked down then the administration had severely struck out because Hermione wasn't pulling back her punches.

The first class was Herbology, something that we shared with Ravenclaw. The class was none informative, but Hermione showed her Ravenclaw nature by answering most of the questions Professor Sprout asked and earned seven points for her house. I didn't care much, instead watching Professor Sprout and how she was working; she seemed frazzled, I looked beyond her smiles and I could see a fatigue in her eyes.

But then again I had done something that hadn't happened in Hogwarts since Voldemort had been a student in these halls. Something like that had more of a psychological impact than I'd bargained for.

The next class was Charms, a double period that we shared with Hufflepuff. I made sure to be quicker on the draw this time and moved to be the first to cast my Levitation Charm, earning three points for Slytherin. I didn't like this game I had to play, but there was nothing more handy than having a private room.

Professor Flitwick seemed as chirper as usual, flitting through the room as he taught his craft. The class wasn't as long as it could have been because after a few attempts we'd all shown a proficiency in the spell and the man told us to talk amongst ourselves for the remainder of the period.

"Muffliato," I muttered under my breath, building a bubble around us to dull our sound.

"What happened?" asked Dudley. "You killed Quirrell?"

"Yeah. It's a long story. A complicated story involving old magic," I said. "But that's not important. Did they catch you last night?"

Dudley shook his head. "Justin managed to return to the basement after we left," he said. "But the Gryffindor's weren't so lucky. I heard they were caught while trying to return to their Common Room. Your work on their minds might be discovered."

I sighed, running a hand through my brow. "I should have Obliviated them first," I said. "That's harder to reverse. But I'm hoping that they won't, something like that could cause tremendous strain to the mind, especially a young mind."

Dudley shrugged. "You know this stuff better than I do."

"There's something else," I said. "We didn't get to do what we were trying to do yesterday. But the others in my house have decided to call a meeting," I told him. "Su and her crew managed to open the Chamber of Secrets and we think the snake might be roaming the school. We'll need all the people we can to stop it from killing people."

Dudley nodded. "I'll talk to the rest of Hufflepuff," he said. "Though you haven't made a very good impression. Justin thinks you're something of a douche."

I looked in Justin's direction. He was talking to Michael and Sally-Anne. I shrugged. "I was a little preoccupied last night," I told him. Dudley gave me another shrug.

"When I talk to them, what's the place to meet?" he asked.

"Room of Requirement seems the smartest place to meet. It can provide us exits that are close to our respective Common Rooms."

He nodded. "I'll get started on that then."

After Charms was lunch which I would have rather spent alone but the restrictions since Quirrell's murder stopped me from doing so. I ate lunch at Slytherin table, chatting to Blaise about nothing while the both of us watched Ron who was sitting with the Gryffindors between his brothers. A few of the other Gryffindors seemed to be giving Ron a wide berth, particularly the second years.

"Hey, Potter," said Su. I was a little surprised that I hadn't even heard her coming. "Do you mind if we talk? In private?"

Blaise and I shared a look before I nodded and got to my feet. We walked out of the Hall where a pair of Aurors stood, greeting us as we passed until we were ensconced beyond their sight. A spell on my part meant we couldn't be heard.

"So," she said. "You killed Quirrell." She was grinning, relishing in the certainty behind the words.

"What if I did?" I said.

"Then…I don't know," she said. "I'm forming more of an image of you as I go along. I don't exactly know how old you are, how much you know about me, so I have to be weary. I have to be on the lookout for such a case where you might try and end me."

"Just as you, no doubt, are planning to do the same with me?" I said.

She shrugged. "I'll neither confirm nor deny that," she said. "I might. I might not. It's possible that I haven't decided yet."

I only hummed at that.

"You know that what you did is sort of making things harder for me right?" she said. "I'm working on something big and here you are gathering attention towards us."

"I thought that was our entire shtick," I returned. "We unwittingly ruin the other's plans?"

"We do sort of have that rhythm don't we," she asked sagely. "At any rate. I'm still not sure about you, which is the reason that I'm not entirely sure how the next series of events will affect you but I do want to remind you of one thing. With a death having already taken place they'll be more alert. When you're enthralled by fits of passion, remember that if you cast one major jinx they'll be on you pretty quickly."

"Careful, Su. It's starting to sound like you're scared of me."

Su grinned. "Don't flatter yourself, Potter," she said. "Though I will admit that after seeing Quirrell after you were finished with him, I'm cautious." She reached in close to touch me before she stopped. "Well," she said. "I'd best be off. Spend any longer here and they're bound to check up on us."

She started walking off, a bounce to her step that made my stomach jump up and down. I had a very bad feeling about the next few hours.


	18. Chapter 18

2-07

When the day ended and after getting something to eat, Dudley and I recruited some of the other first years for some jogging. We managed to get Dean, Justin, Susan and Kevin to join us which meant that we were a large enough group that we could request an escort to jog in the school grounds, something our Gryffindor Prefect surely didn't appreciate.

But it was fun and it meant I could see who our competition was in the physical endurance department. We started off slow, running for forty-five minutes before going on an all-out sprint for the last fifteen minutes. When it was over, all of us were left a heaping mess on the ground, trying to catch our breaths.

"Muffliato," said Dudley, waving his wand nondescriptly and successfully pulling off Snape's spell. The others didn't react much to the spell which made me think that almost all of us had run across the spell in one situation or another.

"About the snake," Dean started. He was laying back on the ground breathing hard, sweat lining his vest much as it was lining most of ours. "Is it really out?" The question was directed in my direction.

"Ron and Theo were the ones who entered his mind," I said. "But I haven't trusted Su since I first saw her. She seemed too confident where the rest of us were trying to get a better grasp of the situation."

"Could she be the cause of all this?" asked Dean asked.

My only answer was a shrug, but Kevin was shaking his head. "In my timeline Su wasn't like this," he said. "She was quiet. The bookish sort. She never really did anything and even when she was out of Hogwarts the last thing I heard from her was that she was a housewife."

"Hey," said Justin. "Don't dis housewives."

"That wasn't my intention," said Kevin. "I'm trying to see if there are similarities between my Su and the rest of yours."

"Same," I said and Dean nodded at that. Justin just shrugged while Dudley muttered, "I didn't even know her to be honest."

"Right," said Kevin. "Smart though she was, she wasn't this smart. The thing with Ravenclaw is that you're not smart in everything you do, just a particular subject. She had hers in Charms. Magic to the scale of time travel is so far beyond Charms that she wouldn't be able to do it. If anyone would be able, it would be Hermione Granger."

"Granger," said Justin. "She died early on in my timeline. Killed by a troll."

"She died in mine," said Dean. "Killed my the basilisk. It sort of…" He hesitated, looking at me before he continued. "It was the reason things went bad in my timeline. The reason that we should stop this thing before it attacks."

"Something we can't do until we consolidate all our assets," I said. "Is everyone up for the meeting tonight?"

"It's going to be hard getting out of the tower," said Kevin. "But we're Ravenclaws. If there's any house that can figure it out, it's us."

"Ravenclaw," Dean muttered. "The most humble of the Hogwarts houses."

"Humility's for the lacking," Kevin returned, a grin stretched onto his face. It quickly dropped and he was serious again. "If it is Granger who did this, then why? Does anyone know much about her?"

Susan spoke. "She was in Gryffindor in my timeline," she said. "She was real friends with you." Putting me on the spot. "But then you were also in Gryffindor. I guess you might not know much about her."

"I know a little," I said. "And it isn't her. She, just like us, has been trying to figure out the sort of magic that could do something on this scale."

"I doubt she'll find anything. Something on this scale was only recorded once: Merlin. He was the first wizard to travel further through time than just twelve hours, nor was he limited to a day like Time Turners. He's the only wizard known to have moved forward in time."

"Are you trying to say Merlin's the reason we're here in this capacity?" asked Susan, a sceptical expression on her.

"Or someone like Dumbledore," said Dean. "He's one of the most powerful in recent history. Well, him and Voldemort, that is, but I doubt Voldemort could have brought us back here."

"Might be a mistake," said Dudley. "Experimentation gone wrong?"

"But why target us, specifically?" asked Kevin. "What's so special about us that has us here? Once we find the common point in all of this, we might be better able to think of a mechanism that might set something like this up."

"Something that will need us all to work together," said Susan. "And I doubt that's likely to happen. There's too much secrecy shared between us all that we could let something like that go."

"This might be a stepping stone against that," said Dudley. "We work through this without stabbing each other in the back and it will open up new avenues."

"Wishful thinking, that," said Justin.

"Spoken because you're going to have a try at betrayal?" I asked.

Susan gave me a look. "Like I said, suspicious. All of us. Like me. I know a few things. I've been investigating in the shadows and the stuff I've come up with…" She let out a low whistle. "I'm a little excited to dish it all out in our meeting."

She was looking at me as she said all this. I felt a momentary sense of panic before it was shot down. "That you're looking at me has me thinking that you're trying to bait me for something."

Susan chuckled. "I was. I think there's more that you know which you aren't telling us."

"We all have our secrets," I said.

"But you more than others, I feel. But," she shrugged. "We have a year to get used to each other."

" _Alright,"_ said a voice, reverberating from all around us. _"I'm done with this, we're going back to the castle now."_

When I looked at the prefect he was already standing, his wand moving from his throat to his pocket. We got up at various speeds, muscles aching and our breathing still coming out short and laboured. Even so we forced ourselves to move. The prefect took us through the halls before giving each of us off to people that would take us to our houses. I had the pleasure of being escorted by two fifth year boys.

"Thing you've got to understand is, Potter," one of the boy said, he'd introduced himself as Tybalt Burke. "Slytherin isn't like the others houses. Not overly moronic bravery, like those Gryffindors, or unneeded hard work like Hufflepuff. Instead it's about who you know."

"And let me guess," I said, running a hand through my hair. "It's in my best interest to become friends with you guys."

"Right in one," said the other boy. Jacob Leroux. "Right now, no one's too sure about you, which means making allies will be hard. But us, we're willing to invest some time in you. Smooth out those edges so you make Slytherin proud. So you can be the achieve your greatest potential."

"Okay," I said. There was still a distance to go before I reached Slytherin and I really didn't have the energy to fight off two opponents. "What would that entail, exactly?"

"Firstly?" said Jacob. "Stop hanging out with that muggle cousin of yours. I get that he's blood and all, but he's not really family is he? With his filthy blood. You need to cut him off before his taint can fester."

"You do know that my mother was muggle-born, right?" I said. Jacob's shoulder's tensed and he looked at Tybalt, the former of whom glared at his friends. Whatever they had been trying to achieve, Tybalt was now aware that Jacob had messed it up.

"That's why this is needed," Tybalt continued. "If you cast him out, you're showing everything that you're above you mother's…affliction. But it should extend beyond that. You shouldn't even be seen talking to their filth."

"That sounds like too much work for my liking," I told them. "Now I have to make new friends. I have to restrict who I hang out with so that I can please other people I don't know. I have to wonder, why even do that? People are clamouring to get close to me. I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, after all. I killed Voldemort, that sort of makes me a big deal."

The moment I said his name both boys flinched. I even saw Jacob swallowing nervously. Then they were quiet for the longest time until we reached the Common Room's door, speaking only to recite the password.

I entered and went to my room for a shower. I checked that the Diadem was still in its hiding place, which it was, before starting on a letter for Aunt Petunia, telling her everything that had happened so far at school and reiterating that I was safe. I tried calling Sirius on the mirror but he didn't answer. I had to assume that he was busy so I left for the Common Room and joined Ron and Blaise who were doing their Herbology homework. After which was dinner at the Great Hall.

"Blaise, a word," said Seamus through dinner. Blaise gave a nod before he stood, moving outside the Hall for their chat.

"If you're wondering," said Ron. "That's what it looked like when you were going to have a chat with Su."

"Like what?" I said after a gulp of pumpkin juice. Ron gestured around and I looked. People were watching the pair. Not just mental time travellers but everyone above third year watched as Blaise and Seamus conversed between themselves.

"They're always watching us," he continued. "I think all of them realise, even subconsciously, that there's something strange about us."

"You're a lot more perceptive than my Ron," I found myself saying as I looked at everything I'd been missing before.

Ron gave me a look before he said, "You're a lot less murder-y than my Harry Potter," he said as though he were just discussing the weather. I stopped short at that, giving him a long look at which he shrugged. "You were fishing for events in my timeline, thought I'd tell you about who you were."

"I'm not that person," I quickly said and Ron shook his head.

"I know that. I'm not irrational," he said. "It's just hard not to see the bastard the burnt the Burrow whenever I look at you."

"But you've been looking at me for the last few weeks and I wouldn't have even known if you hadn't said anything."

Ron shrugged. "Hiding resentment is something I know how to do very well," he said. "And back then I thought you were an eleven year old."

"Then why are you telling me all this, now?" I asked. "Me in the same position, I would be watching you like a hawk."

"Part of the plan," said Ron, reclining back. "It will be nearly impossible for you to do anything now because you'll know I'll be watching. Me and others."

"Your siblings. You've told them," I said, looking at Twins who were sitting in Gryffindor table chatting to their friends and Percy who was talking to a Ravenclaw girl.

Ron shrugged. "It wouldn't be wise to tell you everything I've planned," he said. "But it's important that you know I have plans."

I swallowed. Ron was one of the greater chess players I had ever come across. Something like that didn't neccesarily equate itself to being smart, but there was the fact that a chess player often became great at reading their opponent and cornering them with their pieces.

Was that what had happened upon meeting the twins? Did Ron have the twins watching out for me with the knowledge that I'd fudge their memories if they got a hold of me? Something that might implicate me if the spells were ever checked out by Dumbledore or Snape for that matter? But would he be willing to put his siblings in that sort of danger?

 _What danger?_ a part of me asked. _This is Hogwarts. In its history there has only been one person to die within the property…well two now, but the number is low enough that he wouldn't think he was putting them in danger._

Was I royally screwed?

I looked at Ron and he was grinning. "All of that was a test," he said. "I wanted to read you and though you're quite good at schooling your features it's not good enough. You were out last night. _You_ killed Quirrell."

To deny or not to deny? It would have been easier if Justin's memories had been modified but as it was, it was only a matter of time before everyone found out.

"I did," I said. "Which means that if your siblings stand in my way I can do the same thing to them." Ron paled. At least he still loved his family. "Don't ever let that happen again."

Ron took a breath and stood, leaving his food and walking over to the Gryffindor table.

 _I definitely should not have done that,_ a part of me said and I couldn't help but agree. I was making an enemy out of a former friend, one of the first friends I'd had. But was there another choice?

Voldemort in all his incarnations was the greatest threat we had right now and there were still most likely six pieces of his soul out in the world—Dumbledore would have surely destroyed the ring, the how of it was the hard part in figuring out. I had two pieces with me, there was the locket in the Black Ancestral Home, the cup in the Lestrange Vault, the piece of Soul in Su Li and Voldemort himself.

I had to retrieve all of them at the earliest opportunity which was the hardest thing with almost all of them because I had to think of a plausible way to get them. What made things worse was the fact that the main piece of Voldemort's soul knew I had one of the Horcruxes and he would no doubt be angling to retrieve them too if he was paranoid enough—which he would be with the abilities I had demonstrated.

A sigh left me. I had to move beyond Hogwarts. After the night, I was going to start making plans to break into Gringotts and Grimmauld Place.


	19. Chapter 19

2-08

Too many people already knew about me being out the night of Quirrell's murder and really it was only a matter of time before someone used that against me. It was in my greater interest to get ahead of the curve and tonight would be a stepping stone in that.

A quick rap and a moment later the doors opened to reveal Blaise beyond. He was wearing what I could only term as hunting attire, only instead of red and white, it was black colour and very well-tailored. It did look comfortable though, I made another note of something to buy, being in Slytherin really did well for one's fashion sense because most of the guys I saw here dressed impeccably.

"Potter," he said. I had to shake my head, pushing the distraction back. "What do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, voice devoid of all emotion.

"Planning," I said. "The others will be here soon. Can I come in?"

Blaise nodded and stepped back. I walked into his room. The general aesthetic was a lot like mine but the dimensions seemed a little larger than mine. I felt a little miffed by that, because it was hard for it not take it personally. The achievement that had earned me my room had been killing Voldemort—and sure I hadn't been the one to actively do that, but the Wizarding World sure believed it. Did that amount to a smaller room than what Blaise's family had been doing?

But before I could let these thoughts get ahead of me there was another consideration, that the greater dimensions might be because of magic Blaise had cast himself. If it was the latter, then it was a point against him in a fight where preparation time was there because he would no doubt lay traps. If it was the former, then there really wasn't anything I could do about it.

I looked for the study section and walked in the direction. My wand was out and a chair conjured before I took a seat and pulled out the map. I stretched it out and looked at Blaise, it was a little surprising that his eyes had bulged, his mouth slightly agape.

"This is the Marauder's Map," he said, taking a seat on his own chair. I hadn't activated the thing yet, but Blaise ran a hand across it. "I thought it was legend. The type of spellwork that would need to be achieved for something like this to be possible—"

"Would you believe that it was created by Hogwarts students?" I asked.

"Merlin," he said, reclining against his seat and running a hand over his face. "You know, I hate it when I look back, compare myself to others and see that I haven't achieved as much when I'm so much older than them."

"Ditto," I said.

Blaise snorted at that. "You killed Voldemort when you were a child," he said. "If there's anything to make people feel insecure it would be that. Something Dumbledore couldn't even achieve."

"Loopholes," I said. "And that's not the point of all this." I tapped my wand against the thing, incanting the phrase in my mind. The map unfolded, the various corridors of Hogwarts and the people therein revealed to us.

"This is amazing," Blaise muttered under his breath. He looked at me. "Where did you get it?"

"Right, that," I said. "I was out last night and I killed Quirrell. Now," I said. "I don't know all of the names of the students in the school but with the curfew in effect it makes it easier to suss them out." Using my wand I started point at the metaphorical four corners of Hogwarts. "The two towers, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw with a large concentration of students, there's two Aurors patrolling outside their entrances, here and here," I said pointing at those names.

"Wait," said Blaise before I could continue. "You're just going to roll past the fact that you killed Quirrell," he said. "Like it's not a big deal?"

"It really isn't," I said. "Moving on. I need us to make a list of all the Aurors—"

"Okay, maybe," Blaise interrupted. "He would have underestimated you which is fine. You might have had help, which is a plus. But bypassing the Hogwarts wards would be—" Blaise stood and looked at me. "You just played your greatest hand and you're not even taking it seriously," he said. "What do you have under your sleeve?"

"Nothing," I said, pulling up my sleeves to reveal nothing. Blaise snorted, shooting me an unimpressed expression. I grinned. "Back to the matter at hand."

"Let's—" Blaise started, a gesture shutting me up. "Let's just wait for the others while I think."

I shrugged and pulled out a pad and pencil, starting to jot down the Aurors that were out on patrol and where their headquarters were. I started committing to memory their rotations all the while making a note at not looking at Blaise who was looking at me with a particular look in his eyes. After all that was done, I watched the Common Rooms, watching a particular note of the Slytherin Common Room and bedrooms.

The movements of Su and Pansy being my main focus.

"You think she'll leave," said Blaise, he must have noticed where the majority of my attention was. I nodded at that. "Why?"

"Something she said," I told him. "She'll be trying to make it so the Aurors leave. The how of it is something I haven't really had much time to think about, but from what she said I had it in mind that she as planning something untoward. It' better for her to act sooner than later before we're all discovered and that means she'll most likely move tonight before the chances of exposure increase."

Blaise nodded, a hand rubbing at his chin. He must have had a beard at some point. An observation that took me nowhere, but it was one my brain made nonetheless.

"And if pattern in the same, Crabbe will try and knock out the others and leave, at least that's what the modified memories will tell him," I said before returning to making notes on the Aurors. There were a few of them that moved on their own which made me think they were either Disillusioned or they were hidden under invisibility cloaks, something that would make them harder to spot, but the fact that they moved in patterns made it easier.

I'd make sure we stayed well away from them, it was the others from the other Houses I was worried for though. But then, I couldn't exactly lead them with a Patronus seeing as the thing had the likelihood of increasing capture rate.

An hour passed before there was movement in the girl's bedroom. Su leaving her room while Mandy and Tracy didn't move to stop her, a moment later Pansy left her room and the pair moved through their hallway and out towards the Common Room. I muttered the Patronus Charm under my breath and told Prongs to send the message that the girls were moving, Vincent was out of his room a moment later.

I watched their progress as they met up and went into the Common Room proper. There were seven people in the Common Room but the trio walked into the room and left without earning even a second glance. The strange part was, it didn't even look as though the people in the Common Room had been knocked out. They still moved from time to time.

"More mental magic?" I asked. It was always Voldemort's favourite sort of magic. But I hadn't even seen something on this scale.

"Maybe," said Blaise. "How are we going to get out?" he asked. "Leaving the Common Room might be easier, but there'll be seven of us moving through the halls. It increases the chance of mistakes."

"Hopefully once I've figured out their pattern it will take nothing but a brisk walk," I said. I summoned Prongs another time and sent him over to Daphne. She in turn knocked at the shared room, gathering the attention of the other girls who started moving out the corridor and towards the boys' rooms.

"I just thought of something," I said. "Can we really trust the girls? Su's shown a proclivity for mental magic, able to cast something as complicated as selective mental blocks with a non-verbal spell. What could she do with the time she has when the girls are in their rooms?"

"Something to be on the lookout for, yes," said Blaise. "But just as easily as that could be true, it can also be true that the others are proficient enough in Occlumency that they wouldn't be swayed mentally. We can't make judgements like that off of suspicions."

"The alternative is being betrayed," I said.

"But we also come off as too paranoid if we turn out wrong," said Blaise. There was a knock on the door. "Let's not do that. It makes sense that we should be suspicious, but we don't want to come off as it because it burns bridges. The smart thing to do would be to keep an eye open, smarter still to keep both of them open."

"Constant vigilance," I muttered and he nodded. He stood and went to open the door. Ron and Theodore were on the other side and they entered, the moment Ron saw the map he shot me a glare. I shrugged. Technically it was my map and it wasn't my fault he hadn't had the forethought to get the map from his brothers.

The two sat and we started in earnest discussing ways we might move through the halls, while simultaneously watching what Su and her minions were doing. They were on the fourth floor in an abandoned classroom, there was an Auror just on the nearing hall, moving past them. The moment the man had passed the hall, the trio left the room and started moving through the halls again.

When the girls arrived we began listing the assets we had on our hands. The Common Room had emptied out a little more, but there was a trio still there, not to mention that there were two sets of Auror teams patrolling the dungeons. Blaise showed that he had with him a set of grenades he'd gotten from Seamus—he didn't tell us why Seamus had given it to him nor did we ask for that matter. They weren't the flash grenades I knew, but knock-out grenades enchanted with wide-ranged Stunners.

Once we got that done it was time to move. The grenade worked, which was awesome, the moment we were in the Common Room, Blaise threw one in the room and after a blink of light we heard cluttering bodies. Ron and Mandy quickly worked through modifying the trio's memories before we left through the doorway.

I had a low light lit and watching the Map, moving through the dungeons and going deep enough that the walls looked older. We found a portrait that was empty but after a call and the password we went up a staircase that took us to a section of the fifth floor. Unfortunately, that section was closed off which meant we had to move through another portrait that took us into the dungeon again but closer to the general access halls that would take us a floor up.

"Hogwarts is really irritating sometimes," Tracy muttered under her breath as we had to take a detour that took us to the ninth floor before we had to scale back to the third floor. From then on it was much simpler, well until I noticed a contingent of Gryffindor moving three hallways down towards a staircase that would lead them directly to the seventh floor.

We followed, though kept our distance. Unlike us they likely didn't have anything resembling the map which meant they would be on the alert, likely to attack before they even saw who we were. From there on in, it was easier to move and in minutes we were standing in front of the Room of Requirements as the door unfolded in front of us.

From the looks of it, we were the last to make because all of the other houses were there and most were making light conversation. The room had taken on a new form, circular in shape with the four banners hanging at equal points on the wall, there were different looking chairs placed in a circular shape and when I counted they made the full number of people in attendance.

"Since we're all here," said Neville. "I think it's time we began." He walked to one of the chairs under the Gryffindor banner and took a seat. It was a regal looking chair that didn't even slightly look comfortable.

There was movement from the others, divisions between houses and each taking to chairs I guessed they found comfortable. I did the same, moving until I was under the Slytherin banner before I sat down on a rather large, leather chair that engulfed me as I sat. The chair reminded me of the one I'd had in my office in the Auror Corps.

When the hubbub had dulled to near silence, Neville stood from his chair. He stood as rigid as his chair, hand folded behind his back.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened," he started. "Right now we're a people divide by timelines and motives, but we're brought together by this one thing: That we all want Hogwarts to continue to operate with no deaths on the students' part. The opening of the Chamber threatens all of that, the one who opened it more so because she's shown herself willing to go unspeakable lengths to get what she's after. We—"

"What is she after?" Lily Moon interrupted. Neville glared in her direction, from the looks of it he was about to say more. "I mean, she released the snake which is bad, but she hasn't done anything yet, has she?"

"Doing something in this case means someone dying," said Dean. Neville, noting that his speech had broken into a free-for-all, took a seat. "I think I speak for all of us that we shouldn't let that happen."

"But she's right about knowing what Su wants," said Padma Patil. "In the doing we'll figure out a good strategy to end this before things go downhill."

"Potter seems to have a grasp of her," said Blaise. At that every set of eyes turned in my direction.

"In all honesty I'm not sure what she wants for the snake," I said. "But I do know that she wants the Aurors out of Hogwarts. She'll be planning something in that regard, someone to take the fall."

Someone close to me, going by what she'd said.

"That's not what we should be focusing on," said Anthony Goldstein. "First we should be looking at dealing with the basilisk. Thereafter we can decide if dealing with the patsy is something we're all invested in."

"That's a very cold way of looking at it," said Lavender.

"Nonetheless it's the pragmatic thing to do," said Morag MacDougal. "We're dealing with a basilisk. One of the most dangerous creatures. Arguably, even more dangerous than a dragon because even looking at it indirectly means being petrified. It should be our primary focus."

"Should it really, though?" said Gregory. "Someone killed Quirrell. There's the greatest chance that it's one of us. Now, maybe some of you aren't smart enough to think through this," I almost snorted at that. "But," Gregory continued, "how much danger does that put us in? Whoever did that can bypass Hogwarts' ward effectively enough that they dismembered a guy and weren't caught."

"Something else to be tabled, then," said Neville. "Which do we put priority on? Finding the snake or finding—"

"I killed Quirrell," I interrupted. Neville took a large breath, looking at me with a cold expression that was quickly gone. I couldn't help but get the image in mind that Neville didn't like being interrupted.

"That makes sense," said Dean. There was a hum from Justin at that, for that matter more than a few people nodded. "Continuing, then, about the snake—"

"Wait," said Eloise Midgen, "but, what? Why is it that Potter can just say he killed Quirrell and we all just nod as if it's nothing spectacular."

"I'm rather interested in that myself, truth be told," said Hermione. She shot me an apologetic look. I gave her a shrug I hope said 'No hard feelings.'

"Quirrell was Voldemort," Dean explained. "In my timeline Harry killed him in his first year. Had my suspicion that he would do the same. I'm also not surprised that the whole idea of gathering for the basilisk came from Slytherin for that matter. He killed that too."

"Which brings with it another point," said Draco. "Voldemort. He's a threat on par if not greater than the basilisk. What do we do where he's concerned?"

"This is going to be a long night, isn't it?" Mandy muttered at my left, running a hand at her brow. "Not that I need it, but I was really looking forward to my beauty sleep."

Hermione pulled out a pad of paper and a Quick Quotes Quill. She let both instruments fall before they were carried by magic to her side, the quill poised to write.

"Let's be logical about this," she said. "Treat it as what it is. A gathering of people in their adulthood with intellect enough that the were able to kill the Dark Lord. We need to table items of discussion the go through them from highest priority to lowest. First, the Basilisk and Su," she said and the quill jotted down her words.

"The greater mystery of why were' here," said Lisa Turpin. The quill wrote as asked.

"Rules," said Hannah Abbot. "It needs to be discussed what we can and can't do," she explained. "Much like everyone here, I think I have things that people might be against. But I don't want everyone here coming against me because of situation like Su's found herself in. I'd rather handle you individually, where I might at least have a fighting chance."

"Maybe this links to the rules," said Megan Jones, "but our stance where or when it comes to punishment. I think everyone would agree that death is cleaner," she said. "Of course that would be wrong, but we need to discuss when that's an option and how we'll deal with imprisonment. We don't exactly have the power to cart a person off to Azkaban."

"Again," said Draco, "might link back to the rules but this is important. Do we tell others. It would be the easiest thing for one of us to tell Dumbledore or Fudge or Scrimgeour about what we know and have them as allies, but it would also ruin it for those of us trying for greater things. I don't need anyone knowing I'm a time traveller."

"Also the fact that if we did do that and it was found out by the Unspeakables," said Seamus. "There's an all too real chance we'd get disappeared."

"Noted," said Hermione. "Raise of hands on setting priority," she said. "Highest number of raised hands decides which matter we discuss first."

There were truly only three distinct items which were: The Rules, Su and the basilisk, and why we're here in the first place. So it didn't take long deciding which would be discussed first, but I was a little surprise that it wasn't Su and the basilisk, instead the rules that took the forefront.

It was decided pretty quickly that telling anyone was out of the question because it opened up us to more problems that solutions. Conversation derailed at that point, it being discussed how this would be policed and Padma said she knew a spell that could act as an embargo to stop this from ever happening.

"What about people that have already been told, then?" I asked. "I know for a fact that at least one of us has told other people. Countermeasures, perhaps, I don't know. But this embargo will stop those of us who haven't had the forethought to do as such while doing nothing to stop those who have."

"Then we rework the spells involved," said Terry Boot. He looked at his fellow Ravenclaws. "Anyone know spell theory enough that they can hybridise or construct a new spell?"

"Yes," said Hermione and she was joined by all the Ravenclaws.

"Me too," Blaise added and Daphne, Fray Dunbar and Michael Corner gave nods.

"I'm thinking about something to the levels of a Fidelius Charm spell hybridised with the embargo Padma was talking about," Terry continued. "Alone I would probably take most of the year to figure something on that level out, but between the…thirteen of us it should be done in a matter of months in the least."

"That's rule one," Davie Runcorn muttered, "and it took us fifteen minutes until everything was smoothed out. I'm sorry," he said. "But I'm really tired. Is this going to take all night?"

"From the looks of it, yes," said Dudley. "Man up."

Davie sighed, frustration rolling over his features as he said, "Don't give me that. I'm not like the rest of you. I don't care about saving the world or trying to take it over. I've got more personal issues I'd rather be dealing with."

"Then why are you here?" asked Fray.

"Because if I wasn't here all of you would think that I was in league with Su," he said. "I don't want that sort of attention on my head."

"Right," said Hermione. "We should really think about cutting this short at any rate. It's highly possible that there'll be check ins throughout the night by the Aurors. Moving on…"

Two hours were spent doing this before we took a five minute break, enough time to check the map to see if there was anything unusual. There was nothing other than the fact that Dumbledore was awake with Mad-Eye, Snape and Sirius in his office, Su had disappeared from the map and the Aurors seemed to have changed from the names I remembered from a while back.

We got back into it, this time in earnest discussing in earnest how we would deal with Su.

"The basilisk should be the first thing we take off her hands," said Dean.

"Beyond that what will we do with it though?" asked Draco, interrupting Dean. "When we kill it, and let's not kid ourselves we will, it's going to be worth a lot of money. To me it would obviously be pittance, but to a Weasley or the rest of you…"

Ron snorted. "Right, that old insult." He let out another snort.

"It's a good point, though," said Lily. "I mean, my potions aren't exactly cheap. Are the Nobles and Ancients in the room going to be hands off in the amount? Leave it for the rest of us?"

"Unlikely," I said. "Financial freedom is very hard to have when you have an eleven year old body."

"Too true," added Daphne. "We'll split it equally. Good enough investments and you'll find you pittance growing into something large."

"That out of the way," said Seamus, a measure of frustration and fatigue in his tone. "The thing's eyes. I can build a goggles to escape it's sight. The enchantments are pretty simple. It'll makes so we can't see in the visible spectrum. Maybe infrared or something, but beyond that I don't know if it could work because we're talking about magic."

A hubbub started amongst the Ravenclaws, each talking over the other as they said whether this would work or not but this was stopped when Draco said, "Or we could just _kill_ the damn thing. Simple. Two words and we're done."

"This is Hogwarts," said Susan. "The moment the Killing Curse is uttered we'd have the entire administration on us quicker than we could escape."

"Not if we're in Chamber of Secrets," said Draco. "Come on, think about it. Slytherin builds this crypt and he still lets it be monitored by the school's wards? Not the smartest thing he could have done and we can all agree that Salazar Slytherin was smart."

"That also brings about it another mess of issues," said Parvati Patil. "Because it means there's the all too great possibility that she could knock someone out, take them to the Chamber and bewitch them with the Imperius Curse."

"Talk about paranoia fuel," Dudley muttered. "If that's the case, then tonight's information while get out to her."

"That's a big if," said Kevin Entswhistle. "It's been one day. She couldn't have done that much."

"In the space of a day, Potter found time to kill Quirrell," said Tracy Davis.

"And attempt to fudge with my memories," said Seamus. I got another round of eyes from that but I said nothing, keeping my expression perfectly placid. It really sucked how easily almost all of us were paranoid enough that Memory Charms were looking less and less a viable option.

"Yeah," said Kevin continued, awkward at first before he found his rhythm. "You're right. It's a possibility. So what do we do about it?"

"This would be the perfect time for that embargo," said Hermione to Padma. The girl nodded. A piece of parchment appeared in front of her, which she caught, and then she was waving her wand while muttering silently under her breath.

It took ten minutes before the entire thing was done and the parchment was passing through our group, with each of us signing the parchment.

We continued for another fifteen minutes before we decided to call the meeting to an end.

"That wasn't as productive as I thought it would be," I said as the seven of us started descending a staircase that would take us to the Slytherin Common Room.

"There were too many people to be productive," said Blaise. "We'd have a better time dealing with this ourselves."

"Then why don't we?" said Mandy. "Potter, you know where the basilisk is. You're a Parselmouth and will be able to open the door. Why don't we just find the damn thing and just kill it without complication. Malfoy's idea was pretty good. His logic was sound."

"It might be fun," said Tracy. "And it would mean a lot more money since we wouldn't have to split the money thirty odd ways."

"Potter?" said Blaise.

I didn't even think about it. It was better that the snake be gone sooner rather than later. I took out the map to look if there was a way open, my heart stilled when I saw the movement.

"That will have to wait," I said. "Su made her move. There's more Auror activity. It's only a matter of time before they're counting again."

888

AN: Thank you all for the reviews. It really is a pleasure reading the thoughts of the readers and how they feel about a particular chapter. I hope this story will further continue to intrigue, continue to have unseen twists and broaden the universe of Harry Potter.

PS: Special thanks to user Alicia Olivia Mirza for the wealth of reviews and about the statement, _"I mean if all the people who got back killed Voldemort, then they can't be that bad, right?"_

That right there just let loose a villainous cackle from me as I muttered, "Oh my naïve girl."

(It's lucky my family is used to me talking to myself or I might seem insane in that moment.)

Again, thank you all for the review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

—Stalker


	20. Chapter 20

Interlude: Alastor Moody

Wand in hand, Alastor appeared with not even a sound. He struck, wand running along a vicious line through the air. Whatever the spell, it seemed to have no effect and the man's shoulders eased if only slightly. He started walking, an awkward step that was made even odder because the man would look left and right, up and even down, while his too blue eye spun around in his left eye socket.

 _Constant vigilance,_ he'd been taught. A lesson he'd in turn taught to his trainees and a lesson he'd even taught to the Unspeakable Hit Wizards. Alastor granted out a small snort as the memories came to the fore, being invited to play with the Unspeakables only for the bastards to try and tamper with his memories, trying to make him forget about the experience.

Another snort left him, turning in an ugly chuckle the more he thought about it.

 _Constant vigilance,_ he'd taught them. Had they truly thought he wouldn't listen to his own teachings?

He ran his wand in complicated patterns, muttering under his breath as he did. His spells didn't detect anyone following him, but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone there. He felt it when he passed through the Anti-Disapparition wards and immediately he was gone without turning on the spot—that took too much time, something that was a liability in the throes of battle.

He appeared in a forest and quickly said, "Activate." There was a pull in his navel and then the incessant spinning before he found himself in another forest in America. He couldn't stay here too long, it was only a matter of time before the International Portkey was detected and he would have to not use this particular safe house for at least three years but he wasn't worried.

He walked forward, entered the space at the very edges of the Fidelius Charm and he felt a series of spells run across him in quick ordering, measuring everything running through his body right down to the potions he had on his system. If the wards sensed even a trace of Polyjuice Potion they would curse him so effectively that he would be nothing more than a mass on the ground, quivering for the sweet release of death.

Not that he would let that be. The intruder would still have to be questioned after all.

He walked into the small house, another series of wards running through him on enter, before he walked over to the fireplace.

"International access," he said. The fire spurred to life, green fire rising. "Moody, Alastor. Phrase, Warlock-Nundu-Ashwinder-Six-Six-Three-Wumpas-One-Zero. Location: Office of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus, other names, Dumbledore."

The fire toward even hire and Alastor stepped through. There the spinning again, stretching out without the vision of the general access Floo Network. Minutes passed until half an hour had passed before he was deposited in Hogwarts. He stepped out to see that he was not the only one who had been invited here tonight.

"Alastor," said Albus, the man sitting behind his desk with Severus Snape and Sirius Black taking up positions in front of Albus, but the furthest from each other they could get. "I'm glad you could finally join us."

"Not followed, I hope," Black muttered with a grin to him.

Alastor gave him a dry snort before moving forward, wand still in hand while the other was reaching into his pockets. He grabbed a flask and took a massive gulp of the Invigoration Draught. He quickly put in back and pulled out another flask, this one filled with water, international Floo travel always had him dehydrated.

"What am I doing here, Albus?" he said. His wand moved, a line being drawn that had multiple effects. The chair in front of Albus' desk disappeared and another appeared, and a whoosh spread through the entire room, setting off five of Albus' instruments.

"Yes, Headmaster," said Snape, his voice as sinuous as ever. "We've been here and hour and you've yet to tell us why you requested our company."

"Wow," Black muttered. "That was a mouthful for asking, why are we here?"

"My apologies, Severus," said Albus, ignoring the smouldering glare Snape shot at Black. "Alastor, I wonder if you might look at this for me," the man said, revealing his hand.

Alastor didn't even need to cast spells to notice, "You're cursed," he said. "And a nasty one at that. Who'd you tussle with to get that?"

"No one but the memories of my past," the man said in a tone that was both sombre and wistful. "I was naïve," said Albus. "Momentarily forgetting the true nature of the world or our adversary."

"Voldemort," said Black.

"Yes, Sirius, it was Tom that did this to me," said Albus. "But that's a story for another day. Alastor, if you would."

Alastor gave a nod before pointing Albus' direction. In a minute he'd run through fifteen spells the get a measure of a situation and he didn't like it.

"Curse," he said. "Very bad. Very bad. Internal damage is the worst part, moving at a rate of a millimetre a second. The outside should work even faster, decaying the flesh and hardening it. The amount of pain that you should be under would normally mean you're unable to function enough to think of counters to this. Rough calculation it should have killed you within an hour, maybe two at most. But it's slowed."

"I've brewed a potion that's sapped the curse's forward impetus," said Snape. "I've given the Headmaster a year at most before the curse renders him unable to function."

"Merlin," Black muttered. "Is there any way to stop it?" he asked.

"It's the first of its kind," said Albus, voice calmer than it should have been. "When I die, I'll be studied and potions will be created that will hopefully be able to counter this particular spell in the future. But it's a given this point, that within a year, I will die."

There was a moment where silence passed through the entire room, each of the men in their own thoughts before Alastor said, "How do we move forward now?" he asked. "Do we tackle this, find a way to reverse the curse—I'm sure the American might have something, they've always been good with potions—or do we hadn't Voldemort?"

"None of that," said Albus. "First, I tell you everything I know? First I give you all the information you need so that if things might get moved along too quickly, you know the path to take. First among these—"

"Wait," said Black. "Give me a second because whatever you're going to tell us, should it really be in his company?" he said, gesturing towards Snape.

The man said nothing, instead looking forward without a waver in his placid expression.

"I trust Severus with my life, Sirius," said Albus, but beyond that he didn't anything further. Instead he waved a hand and summoned his pensieve. "Years ago, a prophet gave to me a prophecy. Unfortunately, Tom found out about this and he set into motion the events that eventually lead to his hiatus."

Albus retrieved his wand and placed it on his forehead. He pulled and a stream of blue light escaped. He strung that along until he placed it in the bowl, a slight tap and an image jumped from within.

" _The one with the powerful to vanquish the dark lord approaches…"_

Alastor listened, but another part of him paid attention to the room at large, particularly Snape whose expression was starting to waver slightly. Not enough that the other could have noticed but enough that Alastor did.

Pieces to a puzzle started to form and his mind automatically working to figure it all out:

 _Heavy enough emotion that it's passing through his discipline,_ he thought. _The question is why? Is it because of this new information or is it something old?_

Alastor looked again, turning the gaze of his eyes in Snape's direction to get a better read of the man.

 _Guilt,_ he surmised. _Guilt to new information? That didn't make sense. Occlumency often trained themselves to not react to new stimuli, instead it was the older stimuli that unconsciously went through their barriers. The same was being said for Snape._

 _But how can that be when this is the first time he's heard the prophecy?_ he thought. _Unless it isn't. Two possibilities: Albus doesn't know, which seems unlikely, or he does. But how does it all connect?_

An idea hit.

 _Voldemort found out about the prophecy enough to set events into motion? How? Severus? It makes sense with the information I have on hand that he's the one who told Voldemort. But it still doesn't connect?_

 _Why would Albus trust Snape?_

"No," said Sirius, voice chilling and head shaking. "Not Harry. I'm not going to let him do this. I don't care about a damned prophecy, Headmaster, but I'm not going to let my godson fight that…beast."

"I didn't expect you would, Sirius," said Dumbledore. "I didn't expect any of you would." Alastor didn't have a personal relationship with the boy but he was loathed to send a child to slaughter. He doubted he could have agreed with this. "Which is the reason I kept all of this to myself. I made sure that the Seer couldn't be interrogated and I had planned to set Harry up in the path of the hero."

"I assume something's changed," said Snape, his voice cold. "Since you've summoned us here?"

"I'll get to all of that in due time," said Albus. "First this." He pulled out another memory and this time it was shorter. From the bowl there jumped the liquid from within and took the force of a large bear.

In an unknown voice it said, "Voldemort created Horcruxes. He lives."

"Merlin," Alastor muttered. "How has the Department of Ministries not hear about this? How have they missed it?"

"The Unspeakables are not what they used to be," Albus said in answer. "The war has truly taken much from us. But that's neither here nor there. Voldemort has a Horcruxes, or I should say Horcruxes. One of them," he raised his hand, "was the one that did this to me."

"This is the reason he's able to come back," Black muttered under his breath.

Albus nodded. "The Horcruxes anchor him to this world. So long as he has a body, he has agency in this world."

"But he doesn't," said Alastor. "It was destroyed by the Potter boy."

"Which is the reason we have Flamel's Stone," said Snape.

"Quite right, Severus," said Albus. "With the stone in his possession, it was highly likely that Tom would have been able to build himself a new body. Which is the reason we suspected that Quirrell might be tainted."

"But Quirrell's dead," said Black. "Maybe Voldemort killed him for some reason?"

Albus shook his head slightly. "It wasn't Voldemort."

"So you know who it is?" said Alastor. "Why haven't you informed the Aurors?"

"All in due time, Alastor," said Albus and Alastor couldn't help but feel a little frustration. This was the second thread Albus had left for future conclusion. "To understand the who, a few things need to be understood. Horcruxes, how they're made—"

"No need," said Alastor. "I know it. Snape no doubt's heard and Black's well…a Black. All of us have the basic concept of how they're made."

Albus looked at both Snape and Black who gave both gave nods. "Very well, then," said Albus. "The thing to be understood with Horcruxes, is that the more one created, the more damage it does to the soul. And with how the act of killing is the trigger, there's more of a chance of an accidental Horcrux being created."

Albus paused and as a teacher himself Alastor recognised the technique, he was giving them time to think, put the pieces together. The gears started turning, information put on the backburner while his mind worked to finish this new thread of information.

Snape was the first and all his composure was gone. "No," he said, the words filled with so much pain that it shocked even Black. "It can't be. Tell me it isn't true."

"Yes," said Albus, his voice filled with as much pain as Snape's. "It's true, Severus. Harry is a Horcrux."

Another silence stretched on, the temperature in the room almost having dropped.

"I don't care about the consequences," said Black. "But we're not going to kill Harry. We can find another way to defeat Voldemort but not this. I can't—" Black's voice broke. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate. The Dementor's effect no doubt.

"What are we going to do about this?" asked Snape, with the same passion in his voice. "How do we move forward after this?"

Albus held up a hand and Snape stopped. "This is when it all comes together," said Albus. There was a sombreness to his tone but Alastor could also hear a hint of excitement. "Quirrell was killed," he said. "And the wards informed me as much. In that moment I used my Time Turner to go back, have a better grasp of the situation. Instead I saw quite the sight."

He reached into his head again and pulled out another memory, putting it into the pensieve. "If you'll follow me, gentlemen."

It was a quick process, entering the memory and watching a corridor. Time passed and quickly young Harry Potter and his cousin Dudley Evans running down the corridor. It wasn't a peculiar sight all on itself, children being out after curfew, but that the latter of the two held a wand and shield was strange. After them, were two dogs which looked strangely like the form he'd seen Sirius where.

"Stop," said Potter. He was looking at something that was akin to a map. "We're about to fight an older wizard. Quirrell. He has a part of Voldemort in him. Do you think you can take it?"

"He knows," Black muttered. "They both know. How?"

"Patience, Sirius," said Dumbledore.

Evans spoke, shield at the fore while his sword was hidden slightly behind it. Alastor recognised the form, one he'd been taught too, _'a wand's only a stick even with all its power.'_ All of it taken together didn't make any sense.

Quirrell appeared in the corridor walking with a confidence to him. He and Potter spoke, a trade off that was too out of place. Potter seemed to old in those moments and from Quirrell's words, Alastor had it in mind that Potter might have succeeded in assimilating the parts of Voldemort that were still in him, coming out in the experience more knowledgeable.

It showed when the fought, the boy shooting out spells a first year shouldn't have even known much less been able to cast successfully. Alastor's hypothesis came apart then because Evans fought and it was beautiful. The boy weaved from spells, using the extending sword as though he'd been born to it.

He used his speed, getting closer and batting back the spells. Extending the sword and almost cutting Quirrell. The bad of it was the fact that he and Potter weren't used to working together; Potter would have to fire his spells too off mark to make sure not to hit his cousin. Above all was the fact that the pair was slowly getting tired.

A spell from Quirrell and the pair were felled.

Evans was quick to get to his feet and about to charge forward only to be stopped by Potter. The blond ran while Potter was curse, Quirrell standing over him gloating. A quick opportunity and Potter managed to burn Quirrell with his touch.

The image ended, flooding to black.

"We should get back," said Albus. They all pulled back and appeared in Headmaster's office.

"I don't understand," said Black and Alastor internally nodded.

"At that point the only path I could think of was Lily's sacrifice," said Albus. "When Lily died her love formed a shield around Harry, ensuring that she couldn't be harmed by Tom. For that matter, it ensure that he couldn't be harmed by anyone who was a sympathiser to Tom."

"Dursley and the Winter King," said Alastor.

Albus nodded. "I thought that, at some point while a child, the piece within Harry tried to takeover only to be pushed out by Lily's protection, all of it amounting to the assimilation of Tom's memories while Harry remained the dominant personality."

"Thought, Headmaster," said Snape.

"Thought," said Albus. "Here's a snippet of something I still haven't been able to fully review," he said. "Memories taken from Dudley Dursley."

"Don't you mean Evans," said Black.

Albus shook his head, pouring a flask of blue liquid into the pensieve. "You'll understand when you see."

They entered again and Alastor heavily resisted the urge to blast a curse when he saw a flash of light hurtling towards him. Around them was a battlefield, spells flying, the cracks of gun fire with the simultaneously flickering of Shielding spells. In it all, an older Dudley Evans was moving through the field. He weaved under a series of spells, bringing up a shield when one spell got too close. Evans reached at his side and threw a small knife.

The thing flew with too much impetus, searing straight and hitting a Death Eater in the throat. All through it Evans hadn't stopped moving, shield blocking spells while knives flew out, hitting Death Eaters and felling them.

"Avada Kedvara," a shout reverberated but in that moment a phoenix with white and gold feathers flew down from the sky, grabbing Evan's shoulder and the two disappearing with a burst of fire and appearing almost instantly behind the Death Eater.

Evans pulled out a knife and ploughed it through the man from the back of his neck.

"Return," said Evans and every knife that had been thrown out was at his side again. He moved blocking, weaving under spells and teleporting with the phoenix at points so that he felled more of the Death Eaters.

The battle looked as though it drawing to a close, the remaining Death Eaters fleeing only for something scarier to appear. Overhead there was a large crack and the sudden appearance of the Dark Mark, a portion of the thing stretched out, a trail of smoke that shot towards the ground.

"Voldemort," Evans said to himself. "Stay close, Clara," he said to the phoenix and then he shouted. "Retreat!"

Fire came from the point Voldemort had landed, golden in colour and almost a liquid in the way it moved. It passed through most people but there were the lucky few who flashed blue and disappeared before the flame could hit them. As the fire was nearing Evans, Clara jumped forward and screeched; the incoming wave of fire broke apart before it could hit them, but in the doing the phoenix flashed in a brighter coloured red and a small figure fell to the ground.

"Go," Evans said and there was a flash of fire before Clara was gone.

There was a crack and Voldemort stood in front of Evan, skin pale and eyes red. He looked taller, thinner, with an ethereal beauty to him.

"Dudley," said Voldemort, a large smile on him. "Your army's dying. It's only a matter of time before you're the only one left."

"No," said Evans. "It ends now. I'm going to kill you."

Voldemort let out a chuckle. "Haven't we been through this before?" he said. "I'm immortal, Dudley. This is nothing to me in the greater scheme, nothing more than wanting the pleasure of breaking you again."

"Not this time," said Evans.

Voldemort grinned, taking to the air and hovering back. "Then let's dance this dance again, dear Dudley," he said, getting into a duelling stance.

Dudley did the same, shield in one hand and knives in the other.

"Avada Kedavra," Voldemort sung and salvo of the green spells shot out of his wand. Evans began his dance, moving out of the way and throwing his knives. Voldemort didn't even try bringing up a shield, instead he flew out of the way, still shooting green spells.

A spell neared, catching Evans' shield but the boy wasn't too surprised, indeed the shield took the hit without breaking. Evans reached at his side again and pulled out a large knife throwing it; Voldemort flew back further before taking off into the sky. The knife followed, spearing after Voldemort and moving faster with each second, gaining ground.

There was a crack and Voldemort disappeared, appearing in front of Evans. The boy wasn't surprised, in deed he'd moved back and dropped something in front of him. Dudley jumped, curling into a ball behind the shield just before and explosion erupted enough that he was pushed back into the air. He managed to right himself, landing with a skid before he came to a stop.

He was grinning when he looked up at a Voldemort whose skin had been burnt enough that pain showed through the man's eyes.

"The Half-Blood prince sends his greetings," said Dudley before he was charging forward, throwing his knives. Voldemort, now looking angry, moved faster. Dodging the knives and shooting more Killing Curses.

They weren't doing much because Evans was dodging them. There was a crack as Voldemort disappeared but in the same moment Dudley had threw a thin golden rope; the thing moved faster than Alastor could see, seeking the point Voldemort had disappeared from and grabbing him.

There was a louder crack before Voldemort appeared again, in the same place he'd Disapparated from. The only difference being that he was now wrapped in a golden rope.

"The Goblins," said Evans. "They weren't happy with the way you treated Gringotts. Now goodbye, Tom."

The knife that Evans had thrown before appeared, spearing through Voldemort's throat. Evans fell to his knees at that point, the man's fatigue starting to show.

"You too Felix," he muttered to himself. "Retreat," he said and the memory ended.

"What was that?" asked Sirius when they were out of the pensieve. "How could that be?"

"That's what we're here to discuss," said Albus. "That we might have one or two time travellers on our hands."

"Merlin," Alastor muttered, because there was crazy and then there was this.

888

AN: Didn't read through this like I usually do because I'm a little scared that I might scrap it all. I tend to do that sometimes, I don't know the exact reason except impulse. I'll maybe look at it again for errors so forgive those if you see 'em.

As for everything else. Well, we all knew it was only a matter of time before Dumbledore figured it out. I mean, the guy's a genius after all. Overall, I hope the chapter was enjoyed, even if it's a divergence from what this Arc is primarily dealing with i.e. the basilisk and Su.

—Stalker


	21. Chapter 21

2-09

The next day was odd in a respect because everything was quiet. I knew that there had been a large amount of Auror activity last night, but the major fact of it all was the fact that I couldn't really just go out and ask anyone about it. The only people who knew about this were my fellow Slytherins and me, something I would have to change.

"This is more deception than I expected from you, Potter," said Theodore, the other boy wearing a grin on him. "When we first met I thought you were too much of a puritan to play the games we play."

"I prefer to keep a track of my deceptions," I told him. "Not to mention that acting isn't my forte. How are we going to do this?" I asked. "Between Dumbledore and the Aurors I don't think we could even cast a Confundus Charm without them bearing down on us."

"The we play it another way," said Theo. "Follow me," he said, getting up and putting on his back. I followed, moving through the still full halls just outside the Great Hall and in the court yard beyond.

The students there were in groups, some sitting on the ledge near the fountain while others were sitting on stone benches. Theo led me away from the all, a little alcove which was hidden by a large statue that greeted us with a wave and mimed it would be quiet as we hid behind it. No doubt it had the hiding spot of many a pranksters.

Theo put his wand at his throat and said, "Did you hear? A boy in Hufflepuff told me that he was out last night and he saw a bunch of Aurors in Hogwarts? What do you think it was?"

I quickly got the drift as he spoke again in answer to his own question. I peeked out beyond the statue and picked a target, a cluster of boys who were in their fifth year basking in the sunlight. The Ventriloquism Spell was said and I started another conversation along the same lines, turning my wand slightly to change the quality of my voice to better inflect an entire conversation.

Five minutes we did this before we were both reclining against a wall, Theodore grinning from ear to ear.

"Knowing Hogwarts, we'll hear the real story by dinner," he said. He reclined, moving his wand behind him and summoning a pillow of air that had him more comfortable. "So, Potter, you killed Quirrell."

"I did," I said, suspicion in my tone.

"No need to sound suspicious, Potter," he said. "I'm just curious about the implications is all. You beat the Hogwarts wards. What else are you hiding behind that implacable expression?"

"I'm hiding a lot just like everyone else," I said. I got to my feet. "I'm heading back," I told him. "I feel like spending any time longer with you and I might get interrogated."

Theo shrugged and I left him in his little alcove, walking into the castle and moving through the halls. There was still an Auror presence, with people moving to and fro in very large groups while they spoke. It was dangerous walking on my own and if any of the staff noticed me they would chide me but I didn't care about that, instead I was thinking about what Su had done.

She'd surely done something that had called a drove of Aurors into Hogwarts, a little counterproductive to her plan but nonetheless it made me think she was working towards getting the Aurors out. I still hadn't figured out she would play that, but then I couldn't exactly predict her with the little that I knew. That unfortunately meant I had to be reactive.

I kept walking, the crowds in the halls thinning but quickly surging back to life as I turned into a doorway that led to another courtyard. This one was closer to the transfigurations classroom and through a series of stairs, it would lead to the Hufflepuff basement.

It was the reason I was certain that I was likely to find Dudley here. The only person I could really talk to in Hogwarts without having to watch what I was saying. Dudley was laying on the grass sunbathing, a black pig snuggling at his side. There were kids around him in groups but they kept their distance.

When I was close enough Dudley jerked up, hand moving to his side.

"Oh, Harry," he said, a broad grin appearing on him.

"Are you really sunbathing?" I asked taking a seat next to him. The pig, which had woken up, got closer to me. I held out a hand and it sniffed it before snuggling against it. Strangely dog-like behaviour in my mind, but then I'd never had a pig.

"Yeah, summer's going to end soon," he said. "Getting this goodness before it becomes scarce. But that's beside the point, introductions, this is Steve," he said. "Steve, meet my cousin, Harry."

Steve grunted, snuggling fiercer against my hand.

"Now I feel a little guilty for not introducing you to Hedwig," I said.

Dudley shrugged. "It's okay, things have been hectic the two days we've been here," he said. "And you can introduce me to her later. Just found out something new, Steve here's a new specie."

"Is he really?"

Dudley nodded. "Hagrid has a friend in the Department of Ministries apparently," Dudley explained. "Usually they," he gestured his finger running across his throat, "creatures they think might wreck the ecosystem. Hagrid sweet talks her into releasing them in the Forbidden Forrest."

"I don't find that surprising in the slightest," I said. "I think he might have bred a new specie in my fourth year. The Blast-Ended Skrewt."

"You mean Shelby," said Dudley, with too much excitement that is healthy. "She was the best warhorse I had back in the war. But she didn't beat Clara of course."

"Whose she?" I asked.

"My phoenix," said Dudley and my heart skipped a beat there because what?

"You had a phoenix?" I said, my voice breaking with my surprise.

"Yeah," said Dudley with an awkward shrug. "Fawkes led me to one of her descendants. We bonded and Clara was my companion from that point on. I wonder how she's dealing now that I'm gone."

"Merlin, Dudley. At some point we have to find phoenixes," I said. "That would be the coolest thing ever. But then Hedwig might get a little jealous if I had another pet."

"Ooh, no," said Dudley, his head shaking vehemently. "No. No. No. Never call a phoenix your pet. Clara almost pecked out Collin's eyes for calling her my pet. I think from her perspective I was the pet in the relationship. She was smart enough that could handle strategy, after all," he said, "and from her perspective I was the one with the short lifespan."

I hummed at that, giving a shrug. "Whatever the case, Hedwig is unlikely to think that," I said. "But we have to find phoenixes. Though we'd have to have Fawkes on our side first and with everything I doubt that Fawkes would trust us when Dumbledore probably doesn't."

"Muffliato," Dudley muttered, his wand moving at his side. "Why?" he asked.

"Age Line," I said. "I told you about it."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," said Dudley. "Basilisk and all I'm forced to prioritise."

I hummed at that. "I just wish there was a way that we could insta-kill the thing," I said and then I slapped my forehead. "Roosters."

"What?"

"Roosters," I said again. "What's the sound that they made again?"

"Cackle? Crow? I think it's crow."

"A rooster's crow kills basilisks," I said. "Now we just have to find chickens." I grinned a little. "And I know just the person to help us do that, a prank for the ages, flooding Hogwarts with roosters."

"Sirius?" said Dudley.

"Sirius," I said. "I'll show you after classes."

The day progressed without much event, classes were boring though I had to say I enjoyed the History of Magic more than I should have with Professor Binns as our teacher. Today he'd started going on about the war between the Wizarding Europe and the Autumn Queen, moving into why this had caused the near extinction of the Autumn Court and the eventual dissemination of vampiric knowledge to muggles through literature.

Transfiguration was a little boring. As it was our first lesson, Professor McGonagall focus on the theoretical aspects of the art, though I did learn of a mistakes I'd been doing in my wand movements which meant I could cut down the time it took to craft a conjuration.

The strangest class though, was Potions. It wasn't the lesson plan, but Snape. For the first time since knowing him I could see emotion other than loathing when he looked at me, it was hidden behind his trademark scowl but I could still see it. Especially in how he well he treated me—in this case of course this meaning he didn't talk to me at all only barely looking in my direction.

"Oddest class ever," I said to Daphne.

She hummed, sparring a look at Snape before, She, Dean, Neville and I moved with the rest of our class before finding an escort that would take us to the library. There I met Dudley and after doing our homework, we slipped into a nook, activated Snape's spell and started talking to Sirius.

"Chickens?" said Sirius. "That's a rather odd request."

"Absolutely hilarious, though," I said with a large grin. "Imagine the faculty's face at the sight of this chickens running through the school. Filch would go insane."

Sirius gave a dry chuckle. "He would," he said. "And it might be funny. But…logistic wise, what happens to the chickens—"

"Roosters specifically," Dudley added.

"Yes, those, when you're done?" Sirius continued.

"Hagrid would love them," Dudley answered without even thinking. "Sure they're not dangerous, but I don't think Hagrid would discriminate because of species."

"I doubt he would," said Sirius. He took a breath, running a hand through his chin. "Remus will be livid when he finds out about this," he muttered. "So will Petunia." He shrugged. "But who am I to say no to the both of you? Do you have a piece of parchment, I'll tell you of a hidden passage out of Hogwarts."

"Thanks, Sirius," I said. "You're the best."

Sirius smiled, his eyes shining before all that warmth was gone and he looked like he was in the presence of a Dementor. I hated that they were still a thing, that anyone could have those things near them, that it wasn't a consideration trying to rid the world of them.

I needed to do something about that before I got wrapped up in it all and I knew just the thing to do. After dinner I asked Hermione for a favour and by morning next there was a story on the second page about Dementors and their role in the previous war against Voldemort, even so, the front page was more interesting: Chamber of Secrets opened? Three Aurors found petrified in Hogwarts.

888

AN: I honestly felt stupid that no one considered roosters in the last chapter, but the basilisk is an obscure enough creature that I can rationalise it as saying that it's not something you think about unless you've had much dealing with fighting the things.

At any rate, I hope the chapter was enjoyed and thanks again to all the people who have reviewed.

-Stalker


	22. Chapter 22

2-10

We moved quickly and efficiently, the fact that there were only two us meant that there wasn't as much trouble as when I had been moving with a large group. Dudley and I evaded the Aurors, having a few close calls in some before we turned into a passphrase protected statue and descended down a long dark, hallway.

"Lumos," Dudley said under his breath and his wand came alight.

"You should practices non-verbal magic," I said. "It's easier in the spur of the moment to say the spell but its more advantageous not to."

"I'm practising," Dudley said in returned. "But unlike the rest of you, this is new to me. It's harder getting my mind accustomed to new things."

"But it's still easier than it should be," I said. I moved my one in a short gesture, the tip of my wand came a light and then it detached itself, the sphere of light bobbing ahead of us.

"Show-off," Dudley muttered, extinguishing his own wand, but I ignored him.

"I remember in my time an witch I was chasing," I told him. "She'd been working for a sect of the Department of Mysteries but she was laid off. Made a show of it, escaped the measures they had to make sure no knowledge left them and she started experimenting."

I shuddered as the memory of the woman flashed through my mind. All the parents she'd left empty when she'd taken their children. Then there were the children themselves. After that particular case I'd had more than a little paranoia about letting the kids out, even thinking about taking them all out of Hogwarts so that they would be close to me.

I shook my head, pushing away the memories. "Anyway, the thing that I learnt from that, glossing over the nitty gritty, is that children have this thing about them that makes it easier for them to learn. I think, through magic, we might have the same thing about us. Not to the same level as babies but enough that you're learning a new phrases without trouble."

Dudley shrugged at that. "It might also help that I spent a lot of time after the war in the Wizarding World," he said. "But then after the war there wasn't much of a divide to begin with."

"Yeah?"

Dudley nodded. "My husband and I lived in the new London," he said. "It was the first place that Voldemort took, warped and turned into his headquarters."

"How was it? The interactions between muggles and wizards?" I asked.

"It helped that we were a tightknit group," he said. "There was mistrust because the balance of power seemed one sided, but technology forged forward. A group of scientist discovered a way to make sure magic didn't interact violently with magic which meant the balance started to reform. Wizards started getting antsy at that point, but I woke up here before anything could come to a head."

I nodded at that, thinking on the matter. "You know that Hermione wanted that for my timeline," I said. "She said that how the war was handled was bad, that Voldemort shouldn't have had the amount of traction he had and that we could have worked against it if there was a greater sense of communication between our two worlds. I'm just thinking, wouldn't that be good in the long term? Magic is a wondrous thing and scientific thinking could move us forward in leaps and bounds."

"Might also mean a greater sense of security," said Dudley. "How many muggles must die because of trolls or giants or veela. If they knew they would be able to protect themselves."

"Also brings out the trouble that they might hunt magical creatures but that can't be avoided," I said. "And it's not like wizards and witches can claim they're any different."

"Something to work towards?" asked Dudley.

"Something to work towards," I said. "First this." The hallway shrunk, getting closer before it declined until finally a door revealed itself. I dispelled the light as we reached it and both Dudley and I lit our wands, making sure we didn't broadcast any extraordinary feats of magic.

We opened the door to find Harry and Remus standing on the other side. One looked abashed while the other didn't look impressed in the slightest.

"Remus found out," said Sirius as though it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world.

"I am very disappointed in you boys," said Remus, hands crossed and with a look to his eyes that made me want to look down in shame.

"That's a little like the pot calling the kettle black," Dudley said. He was looking down to, kicking and invisible pebble on the ground.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Remus asked though looking at Sirius I could see he knew the direction things were taking. There was a light in his eyes and a barely restrained grin on him.

I reached into a pocket and pulled out the map. "We found your map," I said.

"Did you really?" said Sirius. He reached forward and took the thing, saying, "Open up you ruddy old thing," and from what I could see the map did as told. "I haven't seen this since…When was it Moony?"

"Our sixth year before Filch took it," Remus answered absently. "Finding this does not mean you should be traipsing around Hogwarts while there's a curfew in effect."

"We don't traipse," I said, affronted. "We strut."

Sirius snorted, holding back a guffaw from coming forth. Remus gave him a scowl that made the man stop.

"Whatever the case what you're doing is extremely dangerous," said Remus. "More dangerous since you aren't telling your teachers what's going on."

My heart jumped at that, eyes opening wider and my mouth going dry. "What do you mean?"

"It's not all that easy to connect the pieces, Harry," said Sirius. "We find out about the possibility of a basilisk in Hogwarts and this coincides with you asking for Roosters? One plus one."

I swallowed a lot more, at a loss what to say because I hadn't expected that. Which is stupid honestly because I should have been able to guess this. None of them were dumb in any regard and I shouldn't have them so. Something like this, underestimating people, was more likely to kill me in the long term than the opposite.

So what to do now? The choice was quickly taken out of my hands as Dudley said, "We're time travellers."

I spared him a look. "Dudley," I said, voice a whisper.

"What?" he said. "You said it before that more than one of the others told other people about what they were. This is the smarter thing to do. It means, if we die, that there'll be people to drive our interests forward."

"True," I said with a sigh. I ran a hand through my hair, scratching my scalp and trying to reorder my mind. From the moment I had thought about the possibility of everyone else being a time traveller I'd began to suspect everyone of being enemies. Maybe my mind hadn't exactly moved on from that point.

I looked at Remus and Sirius, both of which had expressions of deep surprise on them. "What do you mean you're time travellers?" asked Sirius.

"And what's this about you dying? Why would you think that?"

"Because we aren't the only time travellers here," I said.

"Our entire class is made up of them," said Dudley.

"Merlin," Sirius muttered but Remus was shaking his head.

"That's impossible, you can't be—" Remus started but I interrupted him.

"Think about it, Remus," I said. "I mean _really_ think about it. Before, your mind dismissed it as peculiarities but with the new information your mind will start to pick up on the incongruities."

"Merlin," Remus muttered after a moment. "How?"

"We don't know," said Dudley. "Closest we can figure it is that it's limited to our class. People who've met three conditions though that's still unclear because of the much larger pool we're working with."

I hummed at that. "It also doesn't help that we don't know who's friend and who's foe." At their looks I added, "It's been a really complicated three days."

"I need at a seat," Remus said. He reached for his wand but I worked with mine, conjuring a large sofa for him to sit in. He didn't sit so much as fall into it, looking much older than he should, though considerably younger than he'd looked in my timeline. "And it's comfortable too," he muttered under his breath.

"Does this have anything to do with Quirrell, this time travel thing?" asked Sirius. "Did one of you do it?"

"Yes," I said. "One of us did. Through a long story, let's just say that Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort."

"So Dumbledore was right?" said Remus. At my expression he said, "He guessed that whoever killed Quirrell knew he was in league with Voldemort. But to possess him, how could he have had that power when he's supposed to be dead?"

"Because he has tethers," said Dudley. "Connecting him to this world. As long as they exist he can't leave the realm of the living."

"Horcruxes," said Remus. "Plural."

Dudley frowned at the word. I, on the other hand, gave him a nod. "I have one," I said. "Going by Dumbledore's hand, he's no doubt already destroyed one. There's another in Grimmauld Place, another in the Lestrange Vault, one was stolen from Malfoy Manor while the last I can take care off."

"Regulus," Sirius said under his breath, shame in his eyes.

"Not in the way you think, Sirius," I told him. "He tried to destroy it. In the end, your brother went against Voldemort. Kreacher can attest to that."

"This is the oddest thing," said Remus. "To here you speak like that. With such certainty. With a certain level of maturity."

"I think that you might have to deal with it on your own," said Dudley. "Right now things are moving and they need to be stopped. Voldemort's still out there, incorporeal but he knows that Harry has one of his tethers. He'll be looking to find them all and destroy them."

"Which means I need to find the one in Grimmauld and at the Vault," said Sirius. "What about Hogwarts? The basilisk?"

"The Chamber of Secrets have been opened," I said. "By one of us. It's better if we deal with it. If they know we told people on the outside it won't turn out too well for us. It'll mean more attention from the others."

"What about Dumbledore?" asked Remus. "Have you told him about all this?"

"No," said Dudley. "You're the first people we've told."

"Why haven't you told him?" Sirius asked. "You're telling us now?"

"Logistically, it wouldn't be possible. The moment anyone reaches out to Dumbledore they would be watched by the others. Not to mention that we weren't sure we could trust anyone until three days ago."

"There's also limiting things," said Dudley. "We believed that the more people we told the muddier our future knowledge became. It was greater with a small group of people knowing and we were trying to figure things out."

"Not to mention the Unspeakables," I said.

"Yes," said Remus. "The Unspeakables. We'll try things out on our front," he said. "Tell Dumbledore what he's working with and maybe he'll be able to help. It would be better if you told us who was doing this."

"Su Li," Dudley answered before I could say no. We didn't know how Dumbledore would deal with Su, but more than anything we didn't want make this lead back to us. "Try and make this look natural. Like we keep saying, we don't want to attract eyes."

They both nodded. "The chickens. Did you bring, though?"

Sirius nodded. He stepped back into the room beyond, bringing forth a suitcase. "It's compartmentalised," he said. "So you can sow them all over the castle."

"Thank you both," I said. Both nodded. "We should get going. It's only a matter of time before we're tracked and someone become curious."

"Suspicious, you mean," said Dudley. "But yeah. We need to go."

I grabbed the case with a spell, making it so it would follow us. Dudley and I moved. "Boys," said Sirius and we stopped. "Be careful, with whatever you're doing."

"We will, Sirius," I said. We started down the hall, moving in silence. We were almost at the door when Dudley spoke.

"I feel like I might have overstepped," he said, he cast me a side-eyed glance.

"No," I said. "It was the smart play. I'm just scared because I can't predict the future." I took out the map and looked at it, there was someone at the door, Lily Moon. When we stepped out she was standing, leaning against a wall.

"Hey, Potter, Evans," she said.

"Moon," I said.

"Hello, Lily," said Dudley.

"What are you doing out at night?" she asked. "Seems mighty suspicious."

"We know about each other enough that we can admit we're up to something," I said.

"I'm not up to something," she said.

"Which might as well be a lie," I returned.

"Paranoid, much?" she said.

"Paranoid a lot," I said.

"Please don't kiss," said Dudley. "Because the way you're talking and moving, it makes me thing you guys have some unresolved sexual tension."

I noticed for the first time that the distance that had been between us had closed. I hadn't even felt myself moving.

"We're too young for sexual desires," said Lily. "And ew. Nothing against you Potter but…" She shook her head. "You're really not my type." Even so she took a step forward, getting closer than was comfortable and sniffing. "That's Remus I smell there. Spent enough time with him that I'll always remember that scent. And it's fresh. What are you planning?"

"Nothing," I said, my words slow and ground out of my teeth.

"Something," said Dudley. "Chickens. Apparently they kill basilisks. We're going to seed them through the castle."

"Cool," said Lily. "I'm bored. I'll join you. You can come out now, Draco. It's pretty hard to hide from me."

There was a hiss and then Draco stood from a particularly dark corner.

"It was fun while it lasted," he said. "Now let's go cause some trouble."


	23. Chapter 23

2-11

Three floors done already and things were going well. Conversation was a little stilted on my part, I was more focused in putting the chickens in the right place bewitched with a Freezing Spell for a time enough that we could be back in our respective dorms before everything came to a head. I was watching the Aurors, making sure none were too close to us because after Su's last attack there had been more activity where the Aurors were concerned.

"Chickens," Draco was saying, head shaking and throwing his normally sleeked back hair free. "Sometimes I have to wonder who makes the rules to magic."

"Ditto on that," said Lily. "But then, I don't really care so long as I can understand the basics."

Dudley hummed, but said, "It would be better in the long run to know the underpinnings of it all. I mean, you heard the Ravenclaws discussing spell creation."

"Spell creation isn't all that hard," said Draco.

"So you can do it?" I asked.

He nodded. "I just didn't want to waste the effort when I could be doing better things," he said.

"Ooh," said Lily. "Better things. I'm interested. Divulge, if you would."

"Someone killed my parents," said Draco. "I have an idea in mind who it might be, but I think I need Potter's help to know for sure that I'm thinking along the right lines."

I stopped at that, looking at Draco with a questioning expression. Draco shrugged and said, "You're gunning to kill Voldemort. I'm not sure at this point why. Is it because you want to rule the Wizarding World as some Dark Lord or because you're genuinely good? But I know for sure that you're trying to destroy him.

"Now, you can't effectively destroy him without knowing some stuff," Draco continued. "Which would mean you would have asked for help when I said I want to destroy Voldemort, but you didn't which makes me think you know. I know too, know about where they are and since certain things haven't happened I think I can follow the dots to the proximity of the person who killed my parents."

"That was vague," said Lily, looking at Draco with a bored expression.

"I got it," I said. "I'm thinking along the same lines." I shrugged. "I didn't know how to bring it up."

Or if I should for that matter. There were a small number of Horcruxes Su could have used to infect herself and as Draco had said, certain things hadn't happened. Gringotts hadn't reported someone trying to break into the Lestrange Vault or Grimmauld being broken into, adding to that I had one of the Horcruxes and Dumbledore had destroyed the ring that meant Su was involved in the Death of the Malfoys. If not directly then indirectly.

How I would have brought all this up was something I hadn't had the slightest conception how to do. All that, of course, not discounting the small suspicion I'd had that Draco himself was involved in this somehow.

But then again that was still a possibility.

"No," said Dudley, interrupting me from the string of paranoia filled thoughts which starting to enter my mind. "We can't be sure. What you've told me," he said to me. "I don't think they would just do that. Coercion?"

He was right. No one in their right mind would take the gamble of infecting themselves with another's presence. Sure, Su looked relatively well adjusted, but that was a boon on her part. Not mentioning the obvious part. If it was someone else, then they would pick someone older, someone with a greater magical core.

"That also doesn't make sense," I said to them. "Age."

"Power play," said Draco and it made sense. "Too old and the balance of power leans too heavily in one side. This way they have a measure of pull."

"They wouldn't have had an entire image of the deal, though," said Dudley. No doubt thinking about the time travel factor. "Because the power balance theory comes apart taking into account everything that's going on."

At our side Lily nodded sagely. "Vague, but I've got the gist of it. Balances of power and age, which means it's most probably some our age or a few years older. We were talking about Voldemort and I know that he possessed Quirrell which means that he could do that again. He can't have done that retroactively, which means that there's more Voldemorts out there? He must have split his soul which makes me think Horcruxes, plural.

"All together this makes me think that one of us is Voldemort and going by the fact that there are only two people in the entire school who are Parseltongues, that means either Su or Potter is Voldemort infected, and either Crabbe or Parkinson were involved in the deaths of your parents. Since you're talking to Potter I'll assume it's Li."

There was a moment's silence. The four of us having stopped and looking at her. "No," said Draco. "You can't have. We were being all mysterious about it." He didn't seem as perturbed as I would have thought. But then again he would have a better measure of who Lily was with the time they'd spent together in Gryffindor.

Lily shrugged. "Too many points of reference," she said. "And I'm from the future like the rest of you. Of course I'd know roughly the same things you guys do, give or take a few things I wasn't privy on."

"Okay, then," said Draco. "No hiding it. We believe it was one of the two. What do we do about it? They're actively working to bring Voldemort back. Something like that is something we should be stopping."

"We have to focus on current problems first," I said. "Stopping the basilisk. Once we do that, we've taken away their power source and we can attack them."

"You know that would be easier if we just went into the Chamber of Secrets, right," said Draco. "I'm more than sure you know where it is."

"And Su will have guessed that too and probably moved the snake," I said. "Not mentioning I don't want to fight the basilisk. The last time I fought it I won because of luck. Sure I know more now, but we'll be facing a snake that that can kill us with a glance, petrify us with an indirect glance and could bite us and kill us with its venom. Ultimately this is our best bet without casualties."

"There's so much room for error, though," said Lily. "We're basing our survival on witless animals."

"Not mentions what the staff will think about all this," said Draco. "The moment chickens are released in school it's only a matter of time before someone figures out that someone in the castle knows, and with the media attention, they'll be working to end this quickly. I'm thinking Veritaserum."

"They wouldn't," I said. "Doing that is illegal. There'd need to be a whole lot of paperwork filed first, parents getting involved before they could go through with it. Before, when there was only the Prophet as a news outlet they might have done this, banked on the Ministry not wanting this to get out as a measure of protection, but the Herald has shown that there's a mole in Hogwarts."

"No doubt one of us," said Lily. She turned Dudley's direction after that and grinned. "And you know who it is."

"I do," said Dudley. My heart might beaten a smidge faster because I feared he would tell them that Hermione, that in turn meant Lily looked in my direction, grinning further.

"This is your work, too, Potter?" she said, awe in her voice. "When do you sleep, guy? How do you do all these things, making all these plans? Was it you who caused us to come here? Do you have some device that allows you to stretch the hours in a day?"

"No," I said.

"No to which?" she asked.

I didn't answer, instead turning to the map to look at our path. There was nothing there and there was only a short walk to a portrait that would take us to the fourth floor without needing to climb a staircase. We walked through the floor, moving to the four corners and depositing a rooster there, watching for the Auror teams that continued their patrols.

"Come on, Potter," said Lily. She stepped ahead of us, walking backwards to keep her eyes on me. "You can tell me if you caused all this. I'm not about to—" She stopped, stumbling backwards before she caught herself, shaking her head. "Enchantment," she said but it wasn't needed because in that moment a man dressed entirely in a black suit with no face stood behind her.

Slowly Lily turned and a growl passed through her throat. "Vampire," she said.

 _In Hogwarts? Impossible. Unless…_ "Unspeakable," I said. The vampire looked in my direction, head tilting the side in a side of confusion.

I'd heard rumours about them, the Hit Wizards—though the word was used loosely—but since I hadn't actually seen them do anything I'd thought it a myth passed around the department. It didn't help that I'd been Head Auror and still hadn't been made privy to the secret.

I hadn't even noticed, but my wand had found my hand, the same being said for Draco and Lily, Dudley, though, had his sword. Had he had it the entire time? Could the thing shrink?

I made a mental note at some point to find out all I could about his weapons. But now, it was this. Did the Aurors know about this, that a vampire was helping them in their case? Did Dumbledore?

A quick glance at the map and there was no one coming. The Unspeakable was working on his own. Why? And why wasn't he attacking?

I'd no sooner thought that before there was movement. Lily slashed her wand through the air, letting loose a stream of purple light that hurtled towards the vampire. The man took a step forward, that quickly turned into a dive and then a roll under the wave that quickly brought him to his feet.

He closed the distance between himself and Lily in the space of a second, but in that space Dudley had extended his sword, pointing it in the vampire's direction. The vampire danced out of the way, weaving under spells from myself and Draco before a leg extended and kicked Lily's wand from her grasp.

Dudley spun, swinging the extended length of the sword but the vampire jumped, legs drawing inwards before he landed and darted forward.

"Lumos Solem," I said, direction a thick beam of light in his direction. He didn't even attempt to dodge and indeed the beam impacted and was absorbed by his clothes.

"Incendios Grata!" Draco shouted and a large torrent of fire erupted from his wand with enough force that he stumbled back, the recoil causing his wand to shoot up and causing the stream to move wildly. I had to jump to the side to avoid getting burnt, the same being said for Dudley and Lily who was scrambling to get her wand.

The vampire didn't seem perturbed, instead he walked into the fire, running in a straight line that landed him in front of Draco. Quicker than Draco could even let out a whimper the vampire had him by the scruff of his neck and was peering into his eyes.

"Sleep," I heard a voice whisper and then Draco was dropped in a clump.

 _That didn't work,_ I told myself. _Draco's no doubt an Occlumens. He's playing possum._

I didn't have much time to think on this because the vampire was in front of me, hand moving to grab me before I disappeared, my form shrinking and wings flapping. I moved forward, talons outstretched and grabbing the fabric of his mask and pulled. I didn't get the best of grasps, but it was enough that a section of the mask was ripped off.

A salvo of spells flew through the air from Dudley's direction, white spells that moved a tad slowly through the air. My assault had served a purpose, one of the spells hit the vampire causing him to fly off his feet before he landed, weaving and over the other bolts of light.

Lily was back, slashing her wand in violent motions and bringing forth various effects. The vampire dodged out of the way, the spells causing deep gouges to form when the impacted into a wall. Dudley swung his elongated black and the vampire leapt, something which meant he couldn't entire dodge the shaft of light that flew out of Draco's wand, impacting into his face.

There was a weight behind it, enough that the vampire's head snapped back and he fell against the ground. I shifted, landing and already levelling my wand but the vampire had found his feet; he reached at his side and swung in the next instance. The only thing I saw was a flash of silver before something dug into my shoulder deep into that it settled into bone.

A sharp pain ripped through me, enough that a scream erupted from my throat and in the very same instance I lost all feeling in the arm. My wand dropping to the ground.

"Harry," I heard two voices say, equal parts anguish and anger. The one of the voices said, "Sectumsempra!"

The spell landed, a line drawing itself across the vampire's chest but in the same moment there was a thwoop, a flash of golden fire and Dumbledore stood between us and the vampire.

The vampire took a step back, eyes darting between Dumbledore and Fawkes who hovered in the air. The Headmaster only stood, wand at his side and looking at the vampire with none of the twinkle in his eyes.

The vampire hit it's chest—Dumbledore pointed his wand forward and pulled—there was a flash of light and the vampire disappeared only to appear again, rolling on the ground as he was pulled forward. A quick twist of the wand and the motion stopped, the vampire's legs coming together while his arms stuck at his side.

"Fawkes, transport him to my office if you would. I'll have questions for our friend, here," he said. Fawkes flew forward, landing on the vampire's shoulders before they were gone in a blast of fire.

He turned to us, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"I think," he said. "That we should take young Mr Potter to the Hospital Wing before he passes out."

I was grateful for that, because already darkness was starting to cloud the edges of my vision. More than anything, though, I felt a pit at the bottom of my stomach. First Sirius and Remus, and now Dumbledore. Things were moving more and more in a direction that made predicting things a little harder.

888

AN: This is one of the last few chapters before the arc ends. It's been going on long enough that I'm starting to think I've stretched it out too long. But then, just as I'm thinking that I have to remind myself that it's only been three days, which means that at some point I'm going to have to slow this down.

But I'm got an idea of what I want in the next arc and a lot of what's been happening here has been building for the future.

All in all, thank you for reading and reviewing and I hope the chapter was enjoyed.

—Stalker.


	24. Chapter 24

2-12

"Homenum Revelio," I muttered under my breath and immediately the way I saw the world shifted. I could see beyond the walls of the private rooms the others and me had been given, humanoid figures, some which bustled while others were either sitting or pacing.

The bustling figure was no doubt Madam Pomfrey, she was in the backroom no doubt looking over her potions. She'd been irate at our appearance, muttering under her breath that she hadn't expected anyone in the wing at least until the first Quidditch match.

To the room to my left it would be Draco and the tall Dumbledore. He was sitting on his bed while Dumbledore stood, towering over Draco no doubt enquiring about our nightly activities. To the right of the rooms there were Lily and Dudley's rooms, both of which held a singular humanoid figures who were pacing.

I had taken to more minimal movements since I'd been treated. The knife had been pulled out, a process that had promptly knocked me out because as I understand it, the knife had been laced with poison and the moment it had been removed, it had flooded my system. It was luck alone that we'd had one of the best Potioneers in the Magical Britain as one of the staff or I might not have made it.

The arm still hurt when I moved it, sharp barbs of pain shooting through it at even the slight motion of my fingers. It was better, overall, that I didn't try to move too much and instead think.

It was only a matter of time before Dumbledore came and I would have to answer questions. My mind ran a mile a minute trying to consider it all. What to do and what to say? Was it better if I lied? Did I just tell him the truth?

What about the others? If Dumbledore stayed here far longer than he did in the rooms of the others they would know I told him and it would make things more complicated in the long run. I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair and shifting my weight. I bit back a whimper as pain flashed through my left arm.

I slowed all movements, taking deep breaths and pushing the pain to the back of my mind. I got to my feet and started pacing, controlling my breath enough the pain was at the furthest edges of my mind while all the information at the fore was considering the path I was supposed to take.

Telling Dumbledore had more pros than cons. He was as much a genius as Hermione, if there was anyone who could figure out everything it was him. Not to mention that if I had him on my side, I would have Fawkes helping me in dealing with the basilisk. An even smoother task in getting Voldemort dealt with.

"It makes sense," I muttered to myself and in that moment I stopped as I saw the shift, another figure had appeared. I deactivated the link to the Revealment Charm and looked towards the corner of the room, Dumbledore stood there, but he hadn't walked into the room.

He looked at me with twinkling eyes. "Harry," the man said. He pulled his wand out from the folds of his robes, swept it in a motion that caused a whoosh of wind to spread through the room and smack into the walls. "Rest assured no one knows we're talking."

"Why's that?" I asked, inflecting the all too real fear I felt running through me.

"There won't be any need for that, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Rest assured I figured it out two nights ago."

"Did you?" I said. "And what, if I may ask, did you figure out, Headmaster?"

"That you're a time traveller, of course," he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That the same can be said about your cousin Dudley, and, from what I've inferred, a majority of the first years."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair and taking a seat on my bed.

"No offence meant, Headmaster, but dealing with geniuses is really a frustrating task," I said, to which Dumbledore gave a short chuckle.

"No offence taken, Harry," the man replied. "And, believe it or not, I quite know the feeling. I dealt with Tom Riddle and the prime of his power. Dealing with people of considerable mental capacity is quite trying. Which is the reason, I think, that we should move while we still can."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To stop the basilisk and no doubt, Voldemort in whatever capacity he's involved in this," said Dumbledore. "Best hurry up, Harry, before we arrive."

I nodded, coming to a stand and walking closer to the man. He, much taller than me, took my shoulder and an instant later I was pulled into the thin tube before being deposited in one of the halls of Hogwarts.

"We'll have to move quickly, Harry. It's only a matter of time."

"A matter of time before what?" I asked. Dumbledore didn't answer, instead the castle answered as a deep thrum moved through it, followed quickly a series of screams and the sharp cracks of spell fire.

"Come," said Dumbledore. We moved quickly, passing through a series of doorways before we saw the first of the trouble; an Auror flew through the air, crashing into the wall with such force that he bounced off before hitting the ground face first, blood pooling the ground.

" _Hungry,"_ I heard a voice said. _"Food. Kill."_

"The basilisk," I said. "It's attacking." My heart was beating faster, my throat drying because the basilisk wasn't the only sound I was hearing. There was another voice that was speaking, loud words that were slurred in a familiar accent.

"Don't hurt him!" Hagrid shouted. "Don't hurt him!" And at that there was another sound of crashing, stone against stone and all through it all there was the constant hubbub of spells passing through the air and hitting either the walls or Hagrid.

"I don't understand," said Harry. "Headmaster, what's going on?"

"My hand is being forced, Harry," said Dumbledore. "From Tom's perspective, it was only a matter of time before I found out about everything and, as before, I put a stop to it. He targeted me, making it so I had to act."

"Hagrid," I said, it starting to make sense. She wasn't sure how I'd react because I'd shown that Hagrid was a friend to me, that I actually liked him. She'd been planning to set him up from the beginning, and the more I thought about it the more it made sense.

Hagrid was the perfect person to use as a smokescreen to the snake. Before, when he'd been younger, he'd been suspect to Myrtle's death and it would be easier to get him convicted for this crime. Through the three days I hadn't yet had time to visit Hagrid, hadn't yet been able to see if he acted strangely or not, and in that time Su could have been working mind magic to make him pliable, make him think this was all his idea.

"We have to stop this," I said. "We can't let them send Hagrid to—"

"Fret, not, Harry," said Dumbledore, voice as calm as even. There was a crash in the distance, the sound of a curse being fired but missing its target and hitting the wall. There was a scream and a crack then there was a thwoop of Dumbledore and Fawkes appearing, the sound of the phoenix screaming a shrill scream before Dumbledore let out a bellow that made the castle shake.

I stumbled, my left arm moving to stop me from falling only for a small whimper to pass through my lips.

"Headmaster, no!" Hagrid shouted. "Please don't kill him. Please, she's my only friend."

Dumbledore said another word and the effect was great, there was a flash of white light that reached where we were. I heard a deep yelp, then the sound of something hitting a wall. A dozen cracks reverberated through the next hall and then a word, "Oh, God. It's real."

"Unconscious but very much alive," the other Dumbledore said. "Do not look to closely to it or I fear your life will be forfeit."

"Wh—What happened?" another voice asked, the voice young.

"The giant," said another voice. "It was him. We have to take him in. We have to call the Unspeakables to take care of this beat. Cordon off the area."

"That won't be necessary," Dumbledore's voice said, with it a fatigue that made me look at the older man at my side. I hadn't noticed it before, but even this Dumbledore looked tired.

"What do you—" an Auror started only to be interrupted by three voices that said, _Stupefy._ I heard it as the spells met a shield, saw it as they were flung through the air by the other Dumbledore. I heard as series of footsteps, stopping and starting before there was a soft pop.

"That would be our cue," said Dumbledore. "Remember, don't look too closely at it, Harry. I don't want to lose you any time soon."

I gave a short nod and started to follow. How was it that even when I was a full fledge adult, Dumbledore still had the power to make me feel like a child? All of this was moving too quickly, I'd thought we'd have more time on our hands, figure it out and maybe defeat Su before she could do anything of worth, instead _this._

She'd played me. She'd made me think I was her true opponent when the person she was playing with had been Dumbledore.

All at once I felt an immense amount of guilt, especially as we walked into the hall the fighting had taken place. A lot of Aurors were dead, ripped in half, bodies in odd angles, some looking peaceful while others had been crushed. Above and beyond all this were the Aurors Dumbledore had knocked out. Walls were missing, stray bits of rubble over one of the Auror's head while another had a large chunk of rock on her chest.

More than anything though, it was the sight that the snake had already started eating, looking close to its mouth I could see bone sticking out. The thing itself lay on its side, its body moving to show it was breathing but nothing beyond that.

Out of nowhere, there came the crow of a rooster and all at once the basilisk stopped moving breathing.

"It's natural magic should be diminished if only a little," Dumbledore muttered. "Even if it weren't the case, I'm lucky enough to possess a powerful wand. Accio teeth," he said and the thing's many teeth were pulled free from its mouth and hovered in the air in front of us.

"Dumbledore?" said a voice. I turned to see an old wizard standing in Auror garbs at the end of the hall.

"Harry if you would," Dumbledore muttered. "You can Apparate."

I turned, making it so I was turning to face the man. He moved, wand coming up and a spell shooting but I was already gone from where I'd been, appearing behind him and jabbing my wand forward. He slumped as the spell met. I turned again and appeared beside Dumbledore was had just deposited the basilisk's eyes into a pouch.

"There'll no doubt be more people with clearance to travel through time," Dumbledore said, voice still calm. "We'd best hurry. But first." He moved his wand, pointing it at the wizard I'd stunned. The man was brought into the air and after a short twist of the wand, the man fell to the ground.

"We should be moving," said Dumbledore. "Amongst other things, I know that you have a Horcrux in your possession. We should start there, destroy it in the case that this was all some large distraction to get at it."

I nodded and turned on the spot only to hit a solid pain of air where nothing should be.

"The wards are starting to go against me," said Dumbledore. "By all right's as a criminal by modern law, I've lost the title Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"We'll have to walk?" I asked.

"We'll have to walk, yes," he said. "Unless you can fly, at which rate things will move a lot faster."

"You know I can, don't you?" I said.

"Yes, Harry, I do," said Dumbledore with a smile to him. "It would help if we also used that handy exit of yours."

"Of course," I muttered. "I really despise geniuses." I started at a run, diving through an open section of wall and shifting in my bird form. Another form joined me, far smaller than I with wings that beat so fast that they sung. I dove down, angling myself towards the lake and the hummingbird followed closely.

We reached the ventilation shaft and descended, drawing down into my room. I shifted, landed with a huff as I jostled my arm and I quickly moved to retrieve the diadem. A breath I hadn't known I'd been keeping in was let out as I saw it. I grabbed it and put it on my counter, in the same time Dumbledore had retrieved a tooth and in a motion he stabbed the diadem.

The thing scream, a short sudden anguish passing through me before it was gone.

"Now, to her," said Dumbledore. "The map if you would."

I nodded, remembering for the first time since all of this started that I had the Marauder's map. I looked, searched but I couldn't find Su, Vincent or Parkinson, which meant. "They're either in the Room of Requirements, the Chamber of Secrets or they've left Hogwarts."

Dumbledore hummed, giving a short nod while he thought. He looked at me. "I'm waiting, Harry," he said in that way a teacher might. "You more than me should know the answer. Where would they be?"

 _Right. Think,_ I told myself. I'd been so wrapped up in it all that I'd just been reactive. Su was the one in the lead, there was Voldemort in her but from the looks of it the main personality was still Su.

She'd thought the same was true for me too. That I'd subsumed Voldemort into the greater whole which was me. It was the reason, no doubt, she hadn't had trouble thinking that I would be angry because of an emotional attachment to Hagrid.

Where would she be if she wasn't entirely Voldemort?

There was the Chamber, but that was too obvious, not to mention the fact that I could enter it. The only other place she could go was the Room of Requirements because there we would need to know the room she was in to be able to gain access. The hitch, did she know about the Room because of herself or because of Voldemort?

If it was Voldemort then it would no doubt be the Room of Lost things. But if she had to pull memories from Voldemort and she thought I was an amalgamation of Voldemort, then she wouldn't trust that I wouldn't know about that particular room.

But which was it?

 _Go with your gut, which do you think it is? Look at the way she functions. Think back? What do you remember about her?_

She hadn't been much, the quiet type. The only reason I really knew about her was the fact that Hermione had spoken to her a few times in my presence but even then the measure of her was weak. She hadn't achieved greatness in most of the timelines and to people in the know, she wasn't worth the attention.

Did it fit, then, that she'd have found the Room of Requirements on her own?

No. Which meant, in that regard, she would no doubt rely on Voldemort's memories, guess that I would know about it and choose to leave the castle.

"She's left the school grounds," I said.

"Then we should do the same," said Dumbledore. He shifted and flew up the shaft. I did the same following after him even as he moved. It took a lot out of me, the flying, especially since we had to fly over much of the school grounds, manoeuvring past droves of flying Aurors until we passed through the wards.

We started descending, shifting back to our human forms and seconds later there was a flash, everything forcing itself backwards before it suddenly stopped.

"They no doubt will have had constructed Anti-Apparition wards," said Dumbledore.

"That didn't make any grammatical sense," I commented.

"Time travel, Harry," Dumbledore answered. He grabbed my shoulder and turned on the spot, appearing in front of the Hogshead. "My thoughts on the matter," he said. "Is that he'll be here. This is all about me, baiting me so that I do something stupid. There's no greater way to achieve that than targeting my brother."

There was something in his voice. A cadence in his voice. Fear, more than I'd ever seen from the Headmaster.

"Wand out, Harry," he said.

I nodded and prepared my wand, keeping it in front of me even as I muttered a Revealment Charm. There were four people inside, one of which was kneeling on the ground. Dumbledore moved his wand in a tight circle and the door swung open, an eerie scream escaping from within.

Dumbledore moved with vigour inside, in the same instance drawing a horizontal line with his wand. The entire Inn shook, glass shattering as it fell, furniture moving and a sharp note of surprise from one of the girls in the room. Dumbledore hadn't stopped moving and I followed, moving further into Inn and stopping short at the sight.

Su, Pansy and Vincent stood in front of the kneeling Abeforth. He looked in our direction as we entered, only pain in his eyes, blood covering his face and a fatigue in him that matched Dumbledore.

"Albus," the man said, his voice filled with all his pain.

"Shut," said Su. She gave her wand a short flick and Abeforth's head snapped out, mouth opened wide before a hoarse scream escaped him.

Dumbledore pointed his wand, a spell leaving only to be stopped by a shield that flashed gold at the impact. Dumbledore and I looked down, a red line had drawn itself on the ground. A line, a powerful shield that took at least an hour's time before it could function as a passable barrier. It showed preparation.

Su grinned. "There's nothing you can do, Al," she said. "Unlike the last time, when I couldn't sneeze without you there to wipe my nose. I'll have my freedom."

"That expression didn't make sense," said Pansy.

Su shrugged. "It made sense in my head," I heard her muttered. It felt like they weren't taking this seriously. Why? What were they planning.

"What do you want, Tom?" asked Dumbledore, his voice grave and eyes only on his brother.

"I want a lot of things," said Su. "But the first among them is you dead. So here's a deal. I don't kill your brother and you let Potter there hit you with the Killing Curse."

"What?" I said. "You know what that would mean, right? Me hunted?"

She shrugged. "Blame a girl for covering all her bases?" she asked. "You're an unknown, Potter. I find I don't like unknowns. It's best that we take you out of the picture."

"And why, pray tell, do you think I would do that?" I asked. I felt as though this entire situation was out of my league, but I had to play the part. This was more about appearances than anything. They didn't know who I was, not really. They didn't know how I'd been in my timeline. I just had to cast the right image to make sure everything worked out alright.

"Sure, I can see it if I squint," I said. My wand moved slowly, no longer pointing in their direction but in the middle between Dumbledore and them. "You're forcing him because you have his brother. But me? I don't see the hold you have on me."

There was a look in Dumbledore's eyes that hit like a hammer, the look of betrayal and anguish as he mirrored my step back, wand pointing in my general direction but keeping an eye on his brother as well.

Su was grinning I noticed. "I'm trying a variety of things," she said. "One of them is seeing which side you're playing at. If you're no longer a player, though, that would be good for me too. Let's change it up, you kill Potter and I spare the school. I already have measures in place to make sure it burns to the ground."

"She wouldn't," I said. "Not really. Hogwarts is his home. She was a sense of freedom in that, which is the reason she wants you out. All of this would be for nought if she did."

"You have no idea what a cornered rat is willing to do," Vincent muttered coolly.

"Are you calling me a rat?" asked Su. Vincent shrugged. "Prefer snake, to be honest. You know they don't just attack people? They only do so when they feel like they're going to be attacked. In all the expression holds. But he's right. If I fill like I'm losing, then the sensible thing would be to flood the school with fire."

"Still don't buy it," I said.

"Anything because you don't want to die," said Pansy. "Look at it from the sight of the greater good served," she said to Dumbledore. "One death to save the lives of many."

"I have found," Dumbledore said, speaking with that rough quality to his voice, "that working with the notion of the greater good more often than not, means treading on a slippery slope."

Su shrugged.

"A—"

"Avada Kedavra!" Dumbledore started and finished much faster. The spell passed through the light, letting loose a cannon-like bang and a bright golden light. The spell crashed through the shield and slammed into Su before she could move, she was flung of her feet and slammed into a wall, but before she could hit, her features had warped into those of a second year girl.

"No," Dumbledore whispered, all his strength leaving him. He fell to the ground on his knees, his hand losing its grip over his wand. "Please, no. Tell me it isn't so," he said, looking at me.

I couldn't say anything, couldn't speak because I hadn't seen this coming. There was so much I hadn't seen coming. I looked beyond, seeing that the girl wasn't the only illusion, indeed everyone on of them was a student.

She'd played us. She'd played Dumbledore into doing something that would break him. She'd won.

888

AN: Finished this and posted it. I didn't want to change anything. I feel like if I reread it my mind would compel me to play it safe and change everything. My posting insurance that I don't do that.


	25. Chapter 25

Interlude: Amelia Bones

"We know what we have to do," said Minister Fudge. The man sat on the other side of his desk, two Hit Wizards standing at either side of him their eyes moving across the room.

Amelia knew both of them. One, Adriana Sinclair and the other Elizabeth Grunnings. Amelia had been part of the team which had vetted all the thirty of the wizards and witches which had gone on to serve as the Minister's personal guard. From what she remembered in their questioning, the psychological tests they'd run on them and all the other evaluations, she had an image in mind that they were loyal people.

Internally she shook her head, clearing herself of the thoughts. She didn't entirely know why she'd made the tangent in the first place.

"Dumbledore," the Minister continued and then he faltered. He retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at his brow. "Dumbledore's overstepped. Stopping justice from being served and the killing that student."

"Minister," Scrimgeour said, his voice soft and yet filled with all the authority his position had come with. It was incredible Amelia would admit, even she did think she managed to inflect that much authority in one word and yet she was a position above the Head of the Auror Corps.

"I think we are getting ahead of ourselves," the man continued. "We still don't have the full image of what we're dealing with."

"Full image?" Minister Fudge said, voice rising. The words, all in all, came out as sputtered, without the confidence that one in his position should have had. "We know enough, Rufus," he continued. "Dumbledore went off his rails and attacked a student! Can you image what that Herald paper will say if we don't do anything?"

"Can you imagine if we act and we're in the wrong?" Amelia asked. Fudge gave her a look, a look that could only be described as manic before it eased.

"Sirius Black," said the Minister.

"Sirius Black," Amelia agreed. "There was a lot wrong in the way he was handled and our name has been dragged through the mud for the last month. We thought before, that this might pass over, that it would quickly lose traction, but it hasn't."

Amelia reached at her side, opening her case and feeling a folder coming into her hand. She slid it on the desk and Minister Fudge picked it up, giving it and cursory glance before she was looking at Amelia.

"What is this?" he asked, a hint of irritation in his eyes.

"That' the crime statistic for this month as well as those of the previous months," she answered. "Since the Herald came into existence, there's been an increase in the crime rate, cases of muggle baiting and cases of fraud. People are seeing that we at the Ministry are fallible and they're starting to push back. Dumbledore is a public figure, he's done more for this country than most of the people still leaving."

The Minister looked affronted by Amelia didn't pay this any mind.

"If we don't do this right, there'll be push back from the public," Amelia continued. "This is no longer just about law, Minister. We're playing to an audience and we have to convince them that Dumbledore is truly in the wrong."

"And how do we do that?" the Minister asked.

Amelia and Scrimgeour shared a look before the taller man took a small shift forward. "The first, Minister, is a public announcement. An arrest warrant, but if we're going to do this, then, by law, it has to be passed through the Wizengamot."

"A hard thing to pull off," Amelia added, "since Dumbledore heads the Wizengamot."

"How do we counteract this?" asked the Minister. "And I'd like it so that it moves as quickly as it can."

"We call an emergency meeting," said Amelia. "If at least seventy-five percent of the Wizengamot votes to unseat Dumbledore, then we can move forward. We angle to vote you as the interim Chief Warlock, but that's a risky gamble because someone else could angle for the seat."

"A move like this, would normally take time," said Scrimgeour. "The right people in the right places, the right favours, all of them played so that you could get the seat, but moving so quickly presents problems."

"Even so it's something that has to be done," said Amelia.

"Let's do it," the Minister said. Amelia gave a nod, pulling out her wand and giving it wave. A Patronus flew out, not even gathering form before it was out of the room.

"It will take an hour at least, three at most before we have the sufficient number for a quorum. I'd advise we get as many people as possible, though, what we're doing now has only been done once before and its risky. There might be backlash."

"But rest assured, Minister, these are extraordinary circumstance. We might actually succeed."

"Fine, fine," said the Minister. He sighed, running his handkerchief at his brow again. "Let's get this done. We should be prepared, Dumbledore still has a few supporters, even in the Wizengamot, there'll be naysayers."

Amelia gave a nod, coming to arise. She and Scrimgeour left, she taking the lead as they moved. There were people around them, guards for each of them which had been vetted by the others. It didn't do well for a person to choose their own guard, there were protocols in place that stopped that. An unfortunate case with the third Minister of Magic who'd been killed by his own niece.

They were in the lift when she turned to Scrimgeour and said, "I'll leave it to you to set things up, plead the case so Dumbledore loses his seat."

Scrimgeour gave a short nod. "You don't believe this, do you?" the man asked.

"Not at all, but we're playing to an audience," she answered.

"That we are," he said. "I'll get things prepared."

They entered into the lift, silence following as they were taken to their respective floors. Amelia, in all honesty, didn't have much to do with regard to the matter with the Wizengamot, inside he focused on another matter.

"Secure, room," she said. A buzz filled the corners of the room and a person in blue robes, framed by curly hair that was so red she might have been mistaken for a Weasley. "We despatched someone to look into the matters in Hogwarts. There wasn't a report on my desk. Why?"

"Our operative didn't answer," the woman replied. "Our time traveller just only arrived with his memories tempered with, we're in the process of salvaging the little that we can."

"Dunns is an Occlumens," said Amelia.

"Which means we're dealing with someone dealing with a considerable amount of power," the woman returned. "All things point to Dumbledore at a cursory glance."

"But we don't function on that," said Amelia. "Tell me more. What is going on out there?"

"I don't have the entire image, ma'am, but there's something more here. We're sure of one thing from Dunns' memories, that Harry Potter was there."

"Of course he's involved," said Amelia. "We've known Dumbledore was planning something with that boy, but, what? What could the boy have been doing?"

"He Apparated, ma'am."

"That shows considerable power," said Amelia. "But it doesn't give us the complete image. We need another operative in Hogwarts, one to find our lost ally and another to keep an eye on Mr Potter."

The woman nodded. Amelia looked down, there preparing to deal with the various miscellaneous reports on her desks when the woman spoke. "There's something else, ma'am. Something suspicious enough that with everything, it would be remiss of me not to bring it up."

"Go ahead," Amelia said.

"There's been a report in one of the wizarding settlements in Africa," she said. "A boy the age of eleven brokered a deal with the Summer court. A Dark Lord has seized control of Nigeria. It's only a matter of time before it hits international news."

"Once is chance, twice in happenstance but thrice. We have something on our hands and I'm afraid that it might reach the edges of the globe," said Amelia. "It could be the Courts. Children shouldn't have this mental capacity, it could be granted."

"I thought about it, ma'am," the woman said. "I'm putting a team together which will investigate the matter. Unfortunately it will require international cooperation."

Amelia groaned. "Get it done, makes sure nothing leads back to us."

The woman nodded, took a step back and disappeared.

"Unsecure room," she said. The buzz disappeared.

The exciting stuff done, she started going through the boring stuff. Adjustments that would have to be made in the budgets to the various departments, the various department's statistics in terms of productivity and other such matters. Messages came and went into her office, various reports and amongst them signs of the people that would be attending the Wizengamot meeting.

Pretty quickly, three hours had passed and she was dressed in her Wizengamot robes, moving down the lift. She was amongst the last to enter and she was surprised to find they had a fuller court than she was expecting. All the members of the Sacred Twenty Eight who had a seat on the Wizengamot were in attendance, along with them the Ministry staff—no doubt Minister Fudge had angled they be in attendance—and the newer members.

"Is that all of us, then?" said the Minister. He sat in the seat reserved for the Chief Warlock, to his left a man that looked quite distracted, Bartemius Crouch.

"No," said Black. He sat next to an empty seat. Amelia ran her mind of all the people that were supposed to be in attendance, the missing was Petunia Evans.

"If Ms Evans is not here in the next ten minutes," said a woman. Amelia looked in the direction and saw a figure that was making waves in the Ministry, Dolores Umbridge, three seats from here was a person the woman was steadily ignoring, her brother, Amon Umbridge. "The meeting will have to start without her."

"You'd love that wouldn't you," Black said with humour in his voice. "But no, it's more enjoyable if I let the dice roll on their own."

"That was ominous," said another voice, younger than everyone present. Draco Malfoy and beside him was his house elf and personal assistance, Dobby. The elf was making waves in the older families as the first paid house elf in Wizarding History.

"But I like it, might put some vigour in these boring things," he continued.

"All that aside, this meeting needs to start," the Lady Longbottom said. "You woke me up in the bleeding early hours of the morning, I assumed it was important since spoke of unseating a Chief Warlock."

"Yes," said the Minister. "The Lady Longbottom is correct in that regard. I called an emergency meeting because of what Dumbledore has done."

"Hogwash," the Lady Longbottom said. "This is Dumbledore we're talking about. Why would he do something this…stupid?"

"Perhaps it's his family penchant for lunacy," Dawlish drawled. "His father, Abeforth and the goats. All of it might be coming to a head in this."

"We're stretching it aren't we?" said Black. "Is this the dark ages that we think lunacy is genetic?"

"True," said the Minister. "But there is evidence. Scrimgeour, if you would."

"Of course, Minister," the man said. "With me I have the facts that we've been able to piece together regarding the incident at Hogwarts and the neighbouring area, all of it cursed so the information cannot be communicated with any outside factor."

The man waved a hand forward and various folder appeared, sliding through the air to everyone present. Amelia received her own copy and she glanced through it, looking for any new information and finding none. Everything was as it had been shared to her by Scrimgeour.

"I don't know if this is a misprint," said a woman, Alice Burke, "but one of the witnesses spotted Harry Potter as accomplice to Dumbledore."

"Yes, that is true," said Scrimgeour. "It was hidden behind mental magic, but whoever did it was in a hurry. We got the image and some words spoken by him though none which makes sense. We're of the opinion that he was under the Imperius Curse by Dumbledore's hand."

"Do you have proof of this?" asked a man.

"We're looking into it," said Scrimgeour. "Contrary to popular belief investigations take a whole lot longer than a few hours. It's made harder in this fact by the fact that we can't just take a minor into custody without word from their guardian."

 _Which explains why Evans isn't here,_ Amelia thought.

"So all we have to work on is guess work?" asked Malfoy.

"Along with fact," Minister Fudge intercepted. "Even though there is question to why Potter is there, it's still odd in and of itself. I think the Wizarding World at large has offered Dumbledore too many freedoms from the rules, too much power for one person to have." Black gave a snort. "And since he's a criminal on the run, which is known beyond the shadow of a doubt, he shouldn't have the power to pass laws into account.

"I propose, therefore, that we vote to strip him of all his titles. Revoke his seat in this house as well as the representative to the International Confederation of Wizards."

"Seconded," said Amelia. She didn't regret her decision. Beyond Politics Dumbledore had been too powerful in the first place. With enough power that he rivalled even her, except he wasn't bound by strict guidelines and Unbreakable Vows.

"All in favour," said Dolores Umbridge. Various people raised their hands and the magic in the room counted, tallied and then displayed the numbers. "A majority for," the woman continued. "Let the record show that seventy-five percent of the members in attendance voted for stripping Albus Dumbledore of his titles, including the status of Chief Warlock to the Wizengamot."

The scribe quickly jotted down the passed resolution, making a note of that last part.

"Next," said the Minister, "I would like to nominate myself as interim Chief Warlock until such a time as we're out of a state of emergency."

"Seconded," said Umbridge.

Minister Fudge smiled a little as he looked at the woman. He was just about to say something when the doors opened in a rather dramatic fashion and a young voice said, "Let the record show that I, Harry James Potter, last scion of the Noble House of Potter and the Boy-Who-Lived, Vanquisher of Voldemort and Tormentor to Tom Riddle, nominate the matriarch of the Longbottom clan as Chief Warlock."

All this was said with a range that was a little impressive, all while moving to his seat beside Sirius Black. It was even more unnerving because both Potter and Black seemed to have amusement in their eyes, a mischievous grin on Black's face.

"Seconded," said Black.

"This is rather unorthodox," the Minister said. He cleared his throat, pulling out a handkerchief and dabbing it at points. "Mr Potter. I'm afraid that you can't be here, as an underage Wizard you cannot hold a seat in the Wizengamot."

The boy shrugged. "I invoked Draco's law, filled out the paper work while everything was getting done. I thought I might have a personal stack in all of this when it reached me I might be used to build a case against Dumbledore."

"Does this mean that Dumbledore didn't kill the student in question, Mr Potter?" Scrimgeour asked. Amelia found herself sitting slightly forward, looking at the boy because he was the clearest way to answers they could get.

"He did," said Harry.

"You see," the Minister said, jumping on the statement. "Even the boy admits it. It's not enough that he stood against the ends of justice, but he also killed someone. I know I'm moved this faster along than I should be, but this takes us to my next point, a warrant for the arrest of Dumbledore."

"There are rules in this house, Minister," said the Umbridge Squib. "Chief amongst them is that we don't bluster another's point." A glare passed between brother and sister for that comment. "But closer, the matter of Chief Warlock needs to be dealt with first before we move on to matters regarding Dumbledore."

"Of course, of course," the Minister said. "To voting then. All those—"

"You're moving too quickly, Fudge," the Lady Longbottom said. "Unlike some, the rest of us didn't have the time to speak to the people in our court. I request a fifteen minute break before the matter of this matter is resolved."

"Seconded," said Malfoy. "All for, say aye," the boy said. Hands were raised and the votes were counted. "A majority for. A fifteen minute break. Dobby, do you mind getting me something to eat?"

"Of course, Mister Draco," the elf said and he Disapparated.

Amelia didn't move from her seat, watching everything and everyone as the moved. She could see the moves they made, people coalescing around Potter and with them there was also Lady Longbottom. Amelia fixed her monocle, in the process turning the rim of the metal and focusing on that group.

"I don't take kindly to surprises, Mr Potter, and this was a surprise as any I've had. What is the meaning of this?" the woman asked.

"Fudge and his incompetency," the boy said. "We all know it. Now he's trying to grab power, a greater amount of power than he's been fumbling with for the last few years."

"You're well informed," the woman said.

"Dumbledore has been mentoring me for the last three years of my life," the boy said. "He suspected Voldemort was alive and he thought it was better if I was prepared sooner than later."

"That's a heavy burden for him to put on you," the woman said.

"From the looks on Neville, Lady Longbottom, I think we both know you've been doing the same."

"You've got a good eye, Mr Potter," the woman said, "but you have no conception of social graces. Dumbledore's work, I'd assume, powerful men rarely have any conception for tact."

"Thank you for calling me powerful," Potter commented and, despite herself, the woman gave a short chuckle.

"This isn't how I would have played this game, Mr Potter."

"I know," the boy said. "I know you're on the backfoot but you're the best option we have. I feel like you're going to be able to think this through in a way Fudge won't be able to."

"What do you know, Potter?" Malfoy asked.

"That Voldemort, in one form or another, worked to put Dumbledore in the position he is," the boy said.

"It all sounds too convenient," a man said. "You-Know-Who being back."

"Have some balls, man," said the Lady Longbottom. "He's Voldemort, the less power we give to that ingrate the less of a force he'll become."

"Hard to buy that when somehow the guy came back from the dead," Amon Umbridge muttered.

"So what?" said the Lady Longbottom. "You want me to be biased towards Dumbledore?"

"No," said Potter. "I want you to ask as you normally would. Everything goes on in an orderly manner, the Ministry comes out looking good because we don't need people thinking the administration is failing them and following Voldemort."

"I won't go easy on him," the Lady said.

"I never thought you would," the boy returned.

"Dumbledore taught you well, Mr Potter," she said and then she was moving. The contingent around them started to move.

"That was ballsy, Potter," Malfoy said.

"It was time I reached out beyond Hogwarts," Potter said.

Malfoy looked at Black. "You've told him."

"We'll discuss this at Hogwarts," Potter answered. Malfoy nodded and started walking, talking the light snack his elf had brought him.

"Spying is illegal, Amelia," said a deep voice. She looked in the direction and saw Scrimgeour who held a slight smirk.

"That was quite interesting, was it not?" she said.

"Quite," the man said and then they didn't speak.

Matters moved faster from there on in. There was a vote held for the interim position of Chief Warlock, it was close but in the end the Lady Longbottom won the positions. She had to shift seats but the woman forewent that ceremony and said matters should continue.

"Next matter is the warrant against Dumbledore," said Lady Longbottom. "We all have the evidence and Mr Potter has been so kind as to tell as this is true. There are extraneous circumstances, but with the information we have at had I think we can award a temporary warrant until such a time that this matter is sufficiently investigated."

"Seconded," said the Minister. "All votes for." There was voting and the majority voted for it. "The vote's been cast. The warrant can lawfully be drawn up. Scrimgeour."

"Of course, Minister," the man said.

"I'm hoping that's all our business done for today," said Lady Longbottom. "I've still got sleep to catch up on."

"Before you go, my Lady," said Scrimgeour. "Your guard has to be assigned."

The woman gave a long sigh at that but she followed after Scrimgeour.

A good night all in all. Much had been done, more than was usually the case in such things. She just feared what the day would bring tomorrow when the world at large found out about Dumbledore.

888

AN: My writing is influenced by whatever I'm watching or reading at the time. I'm binge watching Suits right now—I'm on winter break—and it might have influenced the route this interlude took.


	26. Chapter 26

3-01

The good of it was, there was no school today. Between everything that had happened the administration was reeling. A new Headmaster needed to be elected soon which meant the school's governing board would be meeting soon, a meeting I wouldn't be attending because my family wasn't as prestigious as most of the families there. Luckily for us, or at least the Order, Sirius and Kingsley held seats in the board.

The bad of it was everything else. The Wizarding World was reeling itself. The Daily Prophet had broken the news with the Herald following it behind it. An attack had happened in Hogwarts, Hagrid the Grounds Keeper leading the attack with a basilisk. The two had killed an excess of sixteen Aurors and when there had been a chance of him being apprehended Dumbledore had taken the criminal and whisked him away.

The how of the next part was harder, but apparently he'd made a trip to Hogsmeade where he'd killed one of four students who'd snuck out to the town. The Wizarding Herald had followed along the same lines, drawing out the facts and making up speculations in what might have happened. All of it together amounted to casting Dumbledore in a bad light.

Not that there was any fighting it. Dumbledore had killed a student and he was feeling that. The man had been in a catatonic state ever since the incident, it had taken a lot of work to get things done so that we weren't caught when the spell registered in the Department of Law Enforcement and even then it hadn't been enough. From the words that had been shared at the Wizengamot meeting my memory spells had already been broken.

I ran a hand through my hair, letting a groan pass through my lips. The castle was busy, people moving from place to place without staying in one positon. There was a general sense of unease in every face I saw, people with a shaken look to them even the Slytherins had this same sense of loss. I couldn't really blame them, Dumbledore was one of the more powerful wizards alive and if, as the Prophet was painting it, he'd lost his mind, people had right to fear.

Above all that, there were the Aurors that were flooding the place. It made it hard to congregate because I'd also noticed few devices strewn at places, most likely they were there to keep a track of us but I didn't doubt that at least one of them would have listening capabilities. One of the few place I knew would be a safe haven from all the devices was where I was headed right now.

It was a short walk to the second floor and this particular side of the castle was filled mainly with Ravenclaws. I walked into the library, eyes scanning for an empty table but finding none. I moved through the bookcases, looking for the small nooks and finding that most of them full but I had to stop when I walked into one of the last, the image was strange.

Hermione looked up when I reached the perimeter and one of them looked up too, it made a small sound before snuggling close to another and going back to sleep.

"Hey, Hermione," I said.

"Hello, Harry," she answered. There was a tired quality to her voice. She had piles and piles of paper in front of her, scribbles and notes, layouts and pictures.

"What are you up to?" I asked.

Hermione snorted a little. "You can ask, Harry," she said.

"Okay. What's with the puppies?" I asked. There were eight of the things, snuggling next to each other and making the most adorable sounds at times.

"Some of girls from Slytherin thought it would be funny to start picking on the Muggleborn," Hermione said, her voice calm. "I cursed them all into these." I was speechless for a few moments, mouth slightly agape and just staring at her before Hermione broke into a bout of laughter. "I'm joking, Harry," she said. "It's a coping mechanism on my part. Didn't have time for companionship on the run so I developed this spell.

"They're conjurations," she continued. "I know, not complicated, but I advanced it to the point their memories carry over between vanishing and reconjuring. Sort of like real dogs except I can just vanish them when things get bad."

I sighed at that, taking a seat on the ground and reclining against the wall. "Out of all us time travellers I feel like I'm the one who's achieved the least. Every time I look around all of you are investing new things or new spells or whatever, and all I amounted to was just being an Auror."

"You defeated Voldemort, Harry," she said. "That's worth something."

"Not really, though," I said. "Dumbledore truly defeated Voldemort. He set everything up so that all I had to do was find the right things and then just kill Voldemort. You remember me telling you how I died?"

Hermione nodded.

"Dumbledore was the one who set it up," I told her. "Voldemort came back in my timeline by rebuilding himself using my blood. He thought he was moving past a piece of magic that would mean he would be able to kill me, but in truth Dumbledore was hoping for it because it would creating something of a quasi-Horcrux. Voldemort killed me, which in of itself is complicated, and that gave me just enough pull that I was able to kill him.

"At every step of the way Dumbledore's been there, making moves in the shadow, all of it culminating in a war won against Voldemort. But this time, we don't have that," I said, letting out a shaky sigh. "For the first time, in a very long time I'm finding that I'm scared."

"We'll get through this, Harry," said Hermione. "Su is only one person."

"But she isn't," I interrupted. "There's also Voldemort. It's only a matter of time before he makes a move. Then there's the scary image in my mind of Su and Voldemort meeting. There'll be power plays between the two, sure, but they'll be working towards mutual goals and that will mean their influence will move faster."

Hermione let out a tired sigh, pushing back her hair so that it didn't get in her face. Her left hand reached out and rubbed at a sleeping puppy.

"It's tricky, but we'll get through this," she said. "Right now we're reeling. We just saw the most powerful man taken down. The rest of the world doesn't know this, but we personally know that it was Su. One of us, and that's rattling because even on our best days we know we can't beat Dumbledore. What we need to do right now, is to sit, take a breath and then start small. What do we want to do?

"I know what I want to do," she said. "What do you want to do Harry?"

Without thinking I said, "I want to take down Voldemort."

"That fine," she said. "But you're thinking too big. That's your final objective, think smaller. Think about the moving parts in all this. How do you defeat Voldemort?"

"Take away his Horcruxes," I said after some thought. "The main portion will no doubt be trying to consolidate his assets. He'll find that hard to do without a body which mean he'll be working towards that first."

"Give me a sec," said Hermione. She reached into her side, shoving her arm into her bag. She pulled out a folder, ran her fingers through it before she handed over a piece of paper. "Names of the missing."

"How did you get this?" I asked. There were over a dozen names.

"I've got my ways," she said. "I've been setting up since I arrived her, and I'm sorry but I can't tell you everything."

"I understand," I said, waving it off. "We're all doing our things and someone knowing too much could ruin that." I sighed. "So people are disappearing but this doesn't give me much."

"Then refocus," said Hermione. "You said he'll be gathering his assets. Stop focusing on something you can't get a grasp on and focus on those you can."

I nodded. "The Horcruxes. There's only one other that's still in the air and it's in Gringotts."

"Then you have that," she said. "Taking it into smaller pieces, bits you can figure out and use to move forward. You'll have to plan—"

"I'm not very good at planning."

"Then I'm sorry, Harry, but you're going to have to learn." She took a large breath before she said, "I'm sorry but I have to get back to work. There's been muggle baiting cases on the rise and when I look through it, look at the points that rose to this, I can't help but feel my newspaper is the cause of all this."

"People are losing confidence in the Ministry," I said and nodded. "I noticed that, it was the main point in the Wizengamot."

"I heard," said Hermione. I was about to ask when I stopped myself. "It's Malfoy," she said in answer. "I think he wouldn't mind you knowing, but he's one of the families who are my investors."

"Hermione, I'm starting to see a pattern here. I was Head Auror before I was reverted back and I know the pattern. Are you a spymaster?" I asked.

"No, I'm not," she said. "Being a spymaster would mean I have spies. I just have a newspaper."

"Which is very good at getting information," I said. "It's got me thinking that you have people in the right places. The Wizengamot, the Auror Office and Merlin knows which other department. How are you doing all of this?"

"Gratuitous use of the Patronus Charm," she said. "If that were true, which, of course, it isn't."

"And I entirely believe that," I muttered. I sighed, coming to my feet. "I'll get to planning," I told here. "Reach out to my own network. Though I don't manage it like you."

"See you, Harry," she said and then she returned to her work. Plans were already bubbling in my mind, once already I'd broken into Gringotts, but that had been during wartimes. The Goblins had been happier to forgive me, Hermione and Ron because we'd helped in stopping Voldemort, but they wouldn't understand this.

Until Voldemort became a true danger they would opt to stay out of the conflict, which meant, before everything else…

"We have to break Bellatrix out of Azkaban," I said to my audience, Sirius' mirror stretched to its limits before it could break through an overload of magic.

"Break out—" Remus started before he stopped short. "Break Bellatrix Lestrange out of Azkaban. Why?" the man asked.

"Because the Goblins don't care about our laws," I said. "I was thinking we break into Gringotts, but that's risky, it could cause an incident. But this is cleaner."

"You'd rather we break our own laws?" Mad-Eye asked.

"It's much cleaner than another goblin war," I said.

"Not clean enough," said Sirius. "Support for the Ministry is waning. Crime is on the rise. Something like this could tip the scale."

"It'll also mean we get our act together," said Mad-Eye. "It'll show the Aurors that Voldemort is alive and active and that he's worth preparing for."

"They might direct the incident towards Dumbledore," said Remus.

"It's a risk we have to take nonetheless," I said. "The Headmaster would want it this way if he was in his right mind."

"Albus wouldn't want anything like this, boy," said Mad-Eye. "But then Albus was always soft. We're facing two extraordinary opponents that have us by the balls. We need to make bold moves. There's a lot of room for error in this but it's the thing to do."

"I'm still not sold on it," said Remus.

"Me too," said Sirius. "Bellatrix breaks out, but how does that gain us access her vault? There'll be logistical issues because how do we turn Bellatrix to our side?"

"Me," I said.

"And how will you do that?" asked Mad-Eye.

I took a breath. "Because, like Su, I have a part of Voldemort's soul in me." Remus' expression warped the most, with Sirius' a close second and Moody not reacting in the slightest. "Dumbledore already told you?"

"Yes," said Sirius, his voice breaking as it passed through that word. "He was preparing us, so we would be able to take over in his eventual death."

"Right, the hand," I muttered, running a hand through my hair, feeling a pit of frustration. "I should have thought he would already be setting the dominoes into place."

"Back to you being a Horcrux, how does it help us now, Potter?" asked Mad-Eye.

"I know Voldemort," I said. "I hate it, but I know him a lot. I've been in his mind, experienced his emotions and I think I could be him enough that Bellatrix would believe I'm him."

"Thin at best," said Sirius. "Harry. This is terrorism. You understand that right?"

"I'm sorry but we need to do something," I said. "Su was infected or infected herself with the Voldemort's soul and she broke Dumbledore. Voldemort himself is still out there. Someone else could steal this soul and infect themselves with all that power. This needs to get done."

I heard a sigh and I knew what was coming. "Harry," Remus started, voice soft. "Right now you're operating at a place of high emotion. That's bad, it clouds you to what you're really doing."

"Like the Wizengamot," said Mad-Eye. "We could have played that, put up an excuse like a golem or Polyjuice potion but you walked in there and admitted that Albus killed that girl."

"That was a mistake on my part, I'll admit," I said. "But it would have gotten out anyway. The memories of those girls will be dissected by the Ministry."

"But we'd still get out of it," said Mad-Eye. "Have the week, Potter," the man said. "We'll work with the Order, trying to get a more stable way of getting that Horcrux."

"Fine," I said. I waved my wand and the connection was cut. I took a seat on my bed. I didn't have an idea how I wouldn't do a thing for the next week.


	27. Chapter 27

3-02

"So they told you to just chill," asked Dudley. The two of us were walking down the hall on the third floor, Dudley's pig following close behind and Hedwig on my shoulder. It had been about time that the three were introduced to each other and really it was the only thing that could take my mind away from everything that was happening out there.

I gave Dudley a nod and he snorted.

"Do they know how stir-crazy you'll be?" he asked. He let out another short snort. "So what are we going to do? We going to lay low?"

"We don't have much of a choice," I said. I pulled out a strip of meat from my pocket and handed it over to Hedwig. "We're limited out there versus in here."

"But you do want to do something?" asked Dudley.

"Like you said, stir-crazy," I said. "I'm thinking of all the problems we have and the only one of worth figuring out is the Unspeakable that we fought."

"Yeah," said Dudley. "I was wondering about that too. So what do we do?"

"Get informed first," I said. "The Department of Mysteries has all been clouded in—and I hate myself for using the same word twice in a sentence but—mystery. I don't know how command flows in that place, only that there's a considerable store of knowledge and it's more active in this timeline than it had been in the last."

"The how is the hard part," said Dudley. "Short of breaking in there and stealing the information, there isn't exactly anyone that can tell us anything."

"We do know one person who knows at least a little, though…"

"Seamus," Dudley said with a slight nod. He gave a snort, turning into a short hall that lead to the bell tower, beyond that would be a balcony which gave an amazing few of the Black Lake. There weren't a few people here, mostly because the bell could be quite loud when it rang.

We quickly got to work casting a Quieting Charm at the periphery, making it three layers because the damned place seemed to want people to work for the view.

"Seamus doesn't exactly like you since that whole stint with his memories," Dudley continued.

I shrugged at that. "He has reason to fear too," I said. "We get caught and we might be secreted away into some Fidelius enchanted prison and tortured for information or something."

Dudley spared me a long look at that. "I'll believe a lot of crazy things, you sort of have to with magic being what it is, but conspiracies are not one of them."

"And that they are," I said. "But the name sort of calls for conspiracy theories to be made. Department of Mysteries."

"Harry, repeating the name is evidence."

" _Department of Mysteries,"_ I said again. "They're practically telling it to us that they're conspiracy theory worthy."

"Fine," said Dudley a grin on him. He reached low and took Steve in his hands and gave him a view of the Great Lake. "Still, it'll take a lot to convince Seamus to give us anything."

"He will when I tell him why I thought tampering his memory was worth it," I said.

"You're telling more and more people about the tethers that I'm comfortable with," he said. "These are dangerous from what you've told me, the more that people find out about them, the more likely it is that more people can create it."

"The specifics of creating the tethers are something even I don't know," I said. "I think there's at least some room for safety in that regard."

"But it means a Ravenclaw is going to be looking for more information," said Dudley. "I'll repeat that for emphasise, _a Ravenclaw will be researching Horcruxes."_

"Most likely," I said. "We don't know Seamus' true allegiance."

"We don't know anyone's true allegiance," said Dudley. "Which is the reason we have to be vigilant."

"At some point we're going to have to take calculated risks," I said. "Seamus has just as much right to fear the Unspeakables as we do. He was the one who kept on bringing it up in the meeting which has me thinking that he'd jump at the chance to figure this out."

"This could still backfire," said Dudley, a sigh in his tone. He shrugged. "But you have to act and this is the better of worse alternatives."

"I'm not sure I know what that means," I said.

"I don't let you do this and you're going to do something more stupid," he said. "It's how you operate. You need to be doing _something_ and I want to be there because the last time you did something alone you forgot a Horcrux."

"That was a mistake," I said, my tone defensive.

"I know. I don't blame you, you were running," he said. "But you forgot about it." He sighed. "I get that you're used to working in a unit, Hermione the thinking, Ron the true planner and you the muscle. Until you get that dynamic back, you have me."

"I do miss them," I said.

"I know, Harry," he said. "Why don't you just make friends with them?"

"It's too hard," I said, my voice coming out with a whine. "Ron is different and add to that I threatened his brothers—"

"You what?"

"It's a long story."

"We have time. Homework's done and it's an average day," he said. "Not to mention that you didn't mention this to me."

"Because it was stupid," I said. "I was stupid. I think I was lashing out because he out thought me." Dudley gave me a questioning look. "Ron told his brothers that he's a time traveller. As far as I can figure that's why they were out that night. They must have seen activity in the map, grew suspicious and thought to confront at least one of us."

"But that's not what made you threaten his brothers," said Dudley.

"No," I said. "He played me. Made me think he knew something when it was all a bluff. I got swept up in the moment and being in Slytherin and I lashed out."

"That's going to make it harder to befriend but not impossible. Just admit that you were wrong, say you'd never hurt his brothers—excluding that one of your dogs bit Fred in the arm—nor any other member of his family."

"Apologising is the hardest thing ever, though," I said, another groan in my voice.

"Man up."

"I hate that I'll have to," I said.

"What about Hermione?"

"She's another matter entirely," I said. "The Hermione in my timeline was socially awkward at first. It wasn't that she didn't want to make friends, it was more that she found it hard because she could be a little too intense. That gap was breached on our part when we saved her life.

"This Hermione is intrinsically different. I died and Ron suffered brain damage, all of this after Ron hurt her. I'm not a psychiatrist but that would have caused her to draw deeper into herself, becoming asocial. I'm sure that wasn't helped by living on the run. I don't think she has it in her to change her nature and start being friendly with someone."

Dudley sighed. "At least you have me," he said. I couldn't help but smile at that, giving him a pat on the back. "And you could have any of the others. Susan Bones seems to find you interesting."

"I'm betting everyone is interested in, if not me, everyone else," I said.

"How Slytherin of you, Harry," he said.

"I am in that house," I said. "Which is definitely colder than I could have imagined. I don't know if there are people that are really friends, there, just people with similar objectives working towards them."

"Not what you imagined?" he asked.

"Something I'm regretting being sorted into," I told him, "because the only reason I'm here in the first place is gone."

Dudley gave me another one of his sighs. Any more and I might think about convincing him to trademark those damned things. "Going back to that, aren't we? You've got a one track mind, Harry Potter and I'm going to try and put an end to that."

"And how will you do that?"

"Expecto Patronum," he said and a wisp of light escaped his wand, contorting until it formed the shape of a rather large warthog. "Tell Michael that we're throwing a party tonight."

The warthog shot off.

"You can perform a Patronus," I said.

"Harry, you're not the best of teachers," said Dudley. "Well, you are, but Greg's better, especially in the Patronus department. That's beside the case, though. Tonight, we're having a party at the basement and you're going to join us. No thinking about anything, just fun."

"Why not."


	28. Chapter 28

3-03

Pretty quickly things deviated into something uncontrollable. At some point, I'd lost track when, a dozen seventh year students had worked to expand the Common Room to fit a large crowd than I'd expected. I spotted the Weasley twins at some point along with a third year Slytherin who'd bolted the moment she saw me. Which I didn't entirely get because it wasn't as though I'd use it…well, my mind was already cataloguing the information for future use which meant it was a fear he rightfully had.

I suppose, looking at all of it, it fit into the general theme of the sort of house that Hufflepuff was. Sure they got something of a bad reputation because really? Working Hard? But they were a middle ground between all the houses. The people that every house, whether they let themselves admit it or not, respected because they were the ones who got the work done.

After all, many a member of the Wizengamot had been Hufflepuff, or at least those that had worked for it, were from that house.

"I can't believe they actually let this happen," I said, taking a sip of my butterbeer and watching it all. The general atmosphere, how everyone coalesced. There wasn't a division of houses, here, just people who were enjoying a break from the outside world.

"Because of the reason you're most probably thinking," said Susan. "You were an Auror right?" I nodded. "Detective or were you a Hit Wizard?"

"Tried being a detective and it didn't work," I said. "My Head called me too impatient and after two years I decided that I was better suited in taking down Dark Wizards than investigating murders."

"Let me guess," she said. "You only truly fought Voldemort. He made plans and you were able to figure it out, you thought you might be a good detective." I nodded at that. "We're sort of similar in that respect. I actually had to fight myself to sit down long enough to convince myself that I wasn't good enough and that I should learn."

"A lesson I haven't learned yet if I'm being honest," I muttered. I took another sip, reaching forward and taking a pastry from the table.

"It's a hard lesson to teach yourself," she said. "Dudley told me about what you're reaching for, what you're gunning to do."

"Did he?"

Susan hummed, nodding her head. "Dudley's been busy. I think he knows we know but he's been playing his game well enough that he doesn't care. I know enough about the Unspeakables that I can give you a sliver, but through all that I need a promise from you."

"I'm listening."

"My aunt doesn't get hurt in whatever you're planning," she said.

"I don't know why should we."

Susan shrugged. "Just that she doesn't, Harry. I need you word that you or yours won't get her hurt."

"I don't have any intention to nor do I think I will," I said. "But as so far as I can I won't hurt your aunt."

"I'll accept that," Susan said with a sharp nod. "Aunt Amelia runs a sect of the Unspeakables. The very same sect that would have sent a vampire into Hogwarts grounds."

"Do you know why?"

She shook her head. "That I know that was hard enough to weasel out," she said. "My Aunt heads the shady side of the Unspeakables. The one Seamus was talking about when he talked about people getting disappeared. Unlike the rest of you, I've been forced into a box because she notices an incongruities between past behaviour and present, and I might get disappeared."

"You're saying that this information, though only a sliver, came at a great risk," I said.

She nodded. "It's not much but it's a direction. I don't know what you'll do with it, but at least now you owe me a favour."

"I owe you a sliver of a favour," I said.

"Can we stop. We've said sliver more than is necessary for three lifetimes," she said.

I grinned at that. "Sliver. Sliver, sliver, sliver."

"You are such a child," she muttered though there was an upward quirk in her lips. She took a nibble of a biscuit, the longer she chewed, the more the happiness faded from her. "I heard through the mill that Su has a portion of his soul in her."

"It hasn't even been a few hours before that sort of thing was disseminated in a respect," I said.

"News travels fast," she said. "It also helps that alliances are being drawn behind the shadows."

"Really?" I said. "Is that you telling me because you want an alliance of some sort?"

Susan shrugged. "Is this you saying you're open to it?"

"I don't know. What does entail specifically? I don't mind having friends," I told her. "But I don't see myself not stopping someone from doing something wrong because they're an ally."

"You know, a smarter person would have lied to my face. Told me they're an ally and let me do them some favours until they stabbed me in the back where it came to something they didn't like."

"Then consider me dumb," I said.

"I consider you an honorary Hufflepuff," she said. "Which isn't neccesarily a good thing because there is a power in playing roles."

"You know, Neville's grandmother said the same thing to me," I told her. "Phrased differently of course. She said that it's often the case that powerful people don't pay attention to social niceties, paraphrased of course."

"Well, yeah," she said. "Someone like Dumbledore often does the craziest things but since he has all the power and that respect, he can be listened to without worry. Now the same thing for someone like Professor Snape, he doesn't have that same power or that respect. Sure his was is crazy but he knows the game well, knows his audience and knows what they most respond to."

A shiver rose up my spine. "Please don't make Snape sound competent in something, it...it's just scary."

"Was he evil in your timeline?"

"He was one of the bravest man I ever knew," I told her. "But he was also the third in people I absolutely loathed for the longest time in my life."

"That must have been a tenuous balance," she said.

"Not so much," I said. "I learned of his bravery after he'd died and you know the human condition. Once someone dies it's like our minds wash away all the bad stuff they did only focusing on the good."

"So now that he's alive again, it's easier to remember the bad?" she asked.

"Harder than you think, actually because Snape's not that bad in this timeline," I said. "Sort of strange truth be admitted. How was he in your timeline?"

"Horrible," said Susan without much thought. "Felt bad for poor Neville, which meant I hated Snape for how he treated him but there wasn't much I could do about it. Well…until I did," she said.

"What did you do?"

"I hexed Snape and then spelled clean his hair," she said. "Even went so far as to give him a perm."

I couldn't help but chortle at that as the image of Snape with a perm invaded my thoughts. Pretty quickly this turned into a coughing fit because when I'd thought the giggling fit had subsided and took a gulp of my butterbeer the image resurfaced with some vigour.

Susan and I continued in that vain for a few more minutes before we had to pop the silence bubble around us when we noticed a particular clique getting too close to us. We invited them in, a group of four Hufflepuff fifth years who quickly took over the conversation by telling us what to expect down the line in our first year and even going so far as saying that if we ever needed any help they were up for it. That was probably more for my benefit than Susan's who must have received similar sentiments from most of her Housemates.

It was nearing ten by the time the party started to naturally draw to an end, the Common Room's door open and various groups from other houses beginning to leave. It was still a sentiment running through the school that even though the basilisk had been slain that we should keep travelling in groups.

Which was the reason I was currently in my predicament… "Are you sure you don't anyone to escort you?" asked Cedric.

"For the fifth time I'll be fine," I said, trying to keep the fatigue from my voice. The image of him catching the Killing Curse was all the more fresh in my mind now that he was in front of me and it was all I could do not to push everyone back. "I have Annette here," I said.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, this, Potter," said one of Cedric's friend. "But she's clearly transfigured her punch into rum."

"It's taking all of my self-control not to be the stereotypical Slytherin and snarkily retort to that."

"Your self-control is greatly appreciated," said another boy and I got from his tone that he was being sarcastic. I gave him a nod and started walking down the curving hallway, following after the girl who was shambling ahead of me much like an Inferius.

She took a few wrong turns at times which I had to stop her from, but pretty quickly we were walking down a hall which my map told me would have an Auror pair moving down it. Instinct told me to move in another hall, but rationale said the administration knew about the party and we wouldn't get in trouble, which was the point where I remembered I had a drunk student with me and indeed chose to go down a longer route with my charge working to keep up with the arm I had around her.

The Aurors didn't come charging after us, even with the whoosh of a Revealment Charm that I felt, but I was going with the impression that they knew it was just a bunch of kids fearing to get caught. There were wasn't much trouble before we were in the Common Room and we were moving our separate ways, without even a thank you for the help.

The next day was much like the previous in that there was, again, no class for the general populace of Hogwarts, though Fifth, Sixth and Seventh years didn't have that luck. They were being taught, the Fifth years in preparation for their OWLs, the Sixth years for their pre-preparations for their NEWTs and the Seventh years for the obvious NEWTS they would be taking at the end of the year.

I felt pity for them, more so because Hermione had taken her NEWTs and she said the things were horrible, and horrible for Hermione was something else entirely for the likes of me—Ron had been quite relieved that hadn't bent under Hermione's pressure when he'd heard of their severity.

At breakfast I decided for a change of scenery and sat beside Draco for breakfast.

"You're here about the meeting yesterday aren't you?" he said after some silence shared between us as he ate. I'd spoken a few times but Draco was of the sort that didn't speak until he was done eating.

"You know I am," I said. "Are you going to tell me or what?"

"You're aware that people are listening to us, right?" he said. "No need for games Bill, I know you can hear us even through that noise you make as shovel that food down your gullet."

A second year boy chose that moment to push his fork too heartily into his bacon which caused a queer screech to pass over the morning hubbub.

"We can play it as others do," I said. "I can say, 'Draco, a word' and we both leave the hall, leaving behind curious glances."

"Too much effort and I'm lazy," said Draco. He pulled out his wand waved it with his mouth moving in intelligible words. "No one will be able to hear us now, and it's sort of an open secret that purebloods get their wands way before they receive the acceptance letters."

"Note made," I said. "About the meeting. Who's going to be the new Headmaster?"

"Undecided, yet," said Draco. "But why didn't Black tell you all this? He's part of the Board."

"I know that," I said. "But they're sort of leaving me out of everything for the time being. It's complicated."

"Tell me that and I tell you this?" he said. "It also helps if I remind you that we're on the same side. You want Su while I want Pansy and Vincent."

I sighed. "Apparently I messed things up at the Wizengamot meeting," I told him. "The people on Dumbledore's side would have played things differently if I hadn't admitted that Dumbledore was the one who killed the girl."

"That was stupid truth be admitted," he said.

"I wear glasses," I told him. "So even with hindsight I don't have 20-20 vision." Draco's only answer was a snort. "So? On your part?"

"Like I said, undecided. The candidates so far are Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Sinistra. But things are made complicated because there are also two staff positions opened and with only a small pool of people to fill them. If we hire McGonagall then we have to find another Transfiguration teacher, which would be hell to do, there aren't that many people that are well and truly good in that subject. Snape's much easier in a respect, we hire him then Potions opens up and we try and get Slughorn out of retirement. But there's still the Defence position that we have to fill, Kingsley has a job."

"Remus was a good Defence teacher in my timeline," I said.

Draco hummed. "Sirius brought him up and there were sixty-five votes against him. There was argument that it wasn't because he's a werewolf but we all knew it was. They've got it in them that we should hire that author, Lockhart."

I snorted at that. "You know he's a fraud, right?"

"I know that," he said. "But I couldn't very well say that without evidence could I? Which is the reason I had Dobby hired some people to read through his works and search of some incongruities in them. Hopefully enough will be done that by tomorrow I'll have sent them to the editor of the Herald. All in all we think it'll be a week before everything's fully in order," he said.

"It's the good and bad, I suppose," I muttered. "You never realise how bad it is to have a lot of power in one person until you see the dishevel that follows once something bad happens to that person."

Draco hummed.

"You mind keeping me updated in everything?" I said.

"Not at all," said Draco. "Ditto with the everything? I hear you're trying to figure out the Unspeakable thing."

"It surprises me how fast things move along in Hogwarts," I said. "It's been a day at most and I'm thinking everyone knows I'm investigating the Unspeakable thing."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised."

888

AN: In the first HP movie we're shown Seamus trying to turn tea into rum. I'm sure it's not outside of plausibility that older students might not try but succeed, I'm surprised not more students were shown drunk in Hogwarts.


	29. Chapter 29

3-04

It took a little work, but at the end of it all I was able to use the grapevine for my own benefit and found my quarry. I'd chosen to do this alone because if Dudley were with me then there was the possibility that it might be construed for a show of force. Something I didn't need because I was going to apologise and ask for a favour, not something one did at a position of power.

The classroom was in the lesser used hallways in the plethora of hallways strewn across the castle and the door was held tight with magic that didn't yield to my spells. After fifteen minutes running through the spells I had under my belt I chose to summon Prongs and send him through the door. It opened not a few moments later.

"Potter," said Terry, a surprised look on him. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Seamus. Heard he was last seen here roundabout," I told him.

"So much for keeping this place secret," Terry muttered under his breath. He let out an exasperated breath. "Give me a sec while I talk to him."

He took a few steps back, making sure his body kept me from seeing within. The door closed before I could get a clear sight and I had to wait outside until the door opened again, Seamus stepping out and closing the door behind him.

"Potter. What do I owe the pleasure?" he asked. Seamus had a handkerchief in hand and he was using it to wife hands smeared with an oily, blue substance. The handkerchief didn't get even the slightest bit dirty as he wiped away the excess which was the reason he had no reason moving the wiping motion to his brow.

"I'm here, amongst other things, to apologise for our first night here. Attacking you and trying to modify your memories."

Seamus shrugged. "All's well that ends well, I suppose," he said. "Forgive me for my pessimism, but I can't but assume you want something more than to apologise."

"Yes," I said. "Information about the Unspeakables."

"This is about the vampire that was found before everything happened, isn't it?" he said. Of course he knew, it was starting to not be surprising at this point. "Okay. I'm willing to trade information, but I'll need something from you in return."

"That being?" I asked.

"You saying two words, open and close."

"Open. Close," I said, my confusion audible in my tone.

"In Parseltongue, of course," Seamus added after I'd finished. All at once parts of it started to make sense. He wanted more than just my words, he wanted the Chamber of Secrets.

"Why?" I asked. "The basilisk is gone. There'll be nothing there."

"But there'll be safety," said Seamus. "A place where I can cast any spell without having to worry about a trained eye catching the spells I'm casting through the Trace."

"Okay," I said. I'd really had no reason to want the Chamber of Secrets, and even if I did, giving him access didn't exactly stop me from entering it. It made more sense to give it to him than to not. But first, "I need to know how much information you'll be giving me. Access to the Chamber is large payment on my part and all you could give me is a sliver of information."

"I'll give you everything I have," said Seamus.

"Which is how much exactly?" I asked.

"Everythingone person can know about that Department," he said. "If my estimates are right, there might be three if not four people who know the things that I do and they're most likely restricted in how they can use the information by Unbreakable Vows."

"Then we have a deal," I said. We got to it, Seamus reached into his robes and pulled out a small square device which was three times larger than a pencil in width and only a slight bit shorter. He pressed it and I said _Open_ and _Close_ in the snake tongue.

I was expecting him to start telling me everything I wanted to know, instead he pulled out a very thin book and handed it to me.

"That'll have everything you want to know," he said. "Wrote it up when I heard you wanted to speak to me. It was good doing business with you, Potter," he said giving me a nod and turning to walk into the door.

"Seamus," I said as he was starting to step through. "I really am sorry about our little scuffle in the Room of Requirements."

He gave me a short nod then stepped fully through. It was a small moment, but between him stepping through and the door closing I saw something that looked like a giant pendulum held up by three rods which made a triangular shape. I didn't allow myself to dwell on that, though, because I opened the book.

 _ **Don't panic,**_ it told me in bright, bold yellow letters. I smiled a little, it was as good as any reference to the ultimate guide in existence. I turned the page, hissing under my breath as the paper cut my finger deep enough to draw blood. The droplet fell and hit the next page, immediately sucked into the paper before the next set of words revealed themselves, _**because you're being followed.**_

 _ **Chamber of Secrets. Take a long route.**_

I had to take a breath at reading the words, pushing my heart to beat slower and my instincts not to take over. I was being followed and from the little Seamus had written down I had it in mind that he would be trying to capture the Unspeakable that was following me. So I had to act naturally, make sure that they didn't lose me but still weren't suspicious enough to attack—if that was even in the cards.

I started walking, looking over the book and the words that were written there. I turned the page and they didn't change, flipping through the book they were the only words I could see; that I was being followed. I closed the book and stowed in one of my pockets, strolling along and greeting a pair of seventh years who had themselves ensconced in a dark alcove.

 _This could all be a trap,_ a part of me thought as I walked. The last time Seamus and I had met, I'd attacked him. Sure, in my mind I had reasonable grounds to do so because I'd thought he had a Horcrux but it was likely he didn't know that. He could be doing all of this for the purposes of revenge.

I took a breath and focused. It was easier sending a Patronus through speech but it was possible to do so without. But was it something to do?

I was already being watched by the Unspeakables, the possible reasons being twofold: Because of the play I'd made in the Wizengamot or the small scuffle that had occurred with the vampire. At any case they knew about me enough to know that I had extra ordinary skill where magic was concerned.

"Expecto Patronum," I said. Prongs rolled out, took his shape before he disappeared. I repeated the spell, but this time I sent it to Hermione. It didn't do to have my location known only by one person and I didn't trust that Dudley knew the location of the Chamber of Secrets.

For that matter, it was better to have three people knowing my location than just two. Better yet, four if I was truly paranoid. I sent out two more Patronii, one to Susan, the other to Draco; the former because I could trust her as an ally and the latter because we shared similar enough interest that he wouldn't be well off if I died.

I turned a corner and rose up a set of stairs. If this was a trap, though, it was better to be prepared. Seamus, the last time we fought, had had a penchant for using objects, going so far as even giving Blaise a Stun Grenade. I'd have to be on the watch out for those, I had to be on the watch out for Flash Grenades too and a whole other manner of objects.

 _It's be stupid if you just went there knowing it's a trap,_ the smarter part of me said and it was right. I changed direction, sending another series of Patronii to the people I knew as allies: Dudley, Draco, Susan and Lily. I thought about sending a Patronus to Hermione but she'd told me she wasn't a fighter and I didn't want to suck her into this.

It also helped to have someone with the knowledge of where I was still on the outside.

It took minutes before I was in the Common Room and I was changing clothes. I altered my glasses so that they would darken when there was a sharp change in light and my clothes had protective enchantments on them. When I exited, it was to see Theo exiting his shared room.

"Potter," he said, surprise in his voice. "You look like you're off to have some fun."

"Possibly," I said.

"Can I join you?" he asked. "I've been bored out of my mind since I haven't been invited to the fun stuff that have been going on around the castle."

"I don't mind at all," I said. He told me to wait for him and I did. He went into his room and returned wearing robes that looked of an expensive leather, though looking at him I had it in my that the robes might be too tight for him.

"So, what are we facing?" he asked me. "Please tell me it's something dangerous."

"Possibly," I said. "I'm going to check out the Chamber of Secrets. Sure the basilisk is dead and all, but it could still be used as a stronghold."

Theo gave a hum, skipping as he moved. "Haven't had a fight in a long time," he said with a grin to him. "It must be fun to be you, not going a day without being in a scuffle whether large or small."

"It's exhausting, really," I answered. "Can't have a moment of true rest fearing that you might be attacked in the next minute."

"One man's pain and all that," he said.

"Isn't it trash?"

"Unless you're a sadomasochist," he said and after some thought I gave a nod. Two floors up and we walked to entrance of Myrtle's bathroom. She wasn't there, thankfully, but the others were, a larger number than I'd expected because Dean and Lavender were there too.

"What are we facing?" said Dean, wearing muggle clothing that reflected mine except more comfortable.

"Possibly Seamus," I said. "Possibly someone else."

"Seamus?" said Lavender.

"I don't know yet but be on the lookout. If it's not him then it's probably someone more dangerous," I said.

"Voldemort?" Dudley asked.

"For now, let's say yes," I said. "I know I'm not giving you anything at all, but if it this isn't a trap Seamus is preparing for me, then be on the alert, we might be fighting for our lives."

I got nods from the others, even excited faces growing serious. We walked as a group into the toilet, sealing the door with magic so that no witch, wizard or ghost could enter and then walked to the tap.

" _Open,"_ I said and the mechanisms moved, parts coming apart so that the area opened up into a sewer below. "I can make stairs," I told them, "but it will be faster this way."

"Not a bother," said Theo. "See you all below," he said before he took a step into the large pipe and started sliding down. He disappeared with a loud whoop. Lily followed, after her it was Dean and then Lavender and then Dudley and then Susan.

"You understand this is extremely undignified, right?" Draco said, smoothing his robes and looking at the massive hole.

"It could take you an hour in the least to climb down the stairs," I said. "But ultimately the choice is yours."

With an exaggerated sigh he stepped and let himself slide down. I was the last to follow and when it finally stopped I was helped to my feet by the others. There were some in our number already missing.

"They've gone ahead," said Susan. "Check the area for spells."

"Impatient lot, the rest of them," said Draco. "Let's get moving," he said. "I have a meeting in a few hours and the only reason I'm hear is because I'm interested."

Dudley snorted. "I'm sure that's the entire reason," he said, giving Draco an knowing look. It must have been my eyes playing tricks on me because I could have sworn I saw Draco blush.

I pushed that aside, starting to move. We walked deeper into the larger tunnel, keeping a straight path until we were bared by a massive door. Before I could speak, however, Draco stopped me, saying he wanted to try something.

He shifted form, turning into a green Pit Viper with faded yellow crown.

" _Open,"_ he hissed and the great mechanism that was the gate into the Chamber started to shift, snakes drawing inward while another slithered in the circular shape that was the door.

"I'm surprised that worked," Draco said when he'd shifted back.

"Me too," I muttered. I shrugged. "But loopholes and the abuse thereof."

We entered and five people were already inside. Seamus, Terry, Padma, Blaise and Neville.

"How much did you tell them?" asked Seamus. All of them kept their distance, faces not betraying any emotion.

"Just that it was possible this was a betrayal," I said.

"It's not," said Seamus. "Close the door if you would."

" _Close,"_ I said. "Now. I'll take it you have a plan."

"Yes," he said. "Activate." A pulse of light spread through the room faster than any of us could do a thing, even so we all had our wands out and at the ready, pointed in their direction.

"You'll find, boys," said Seamus, looking above and beyond us, "that you have nowhere to run."

I turned and saw the Unspeakables that had been on my tail. There were two of them, one of the female from the looks of it and tall in her own right though she was certainly shorter than her companion; _he_ at least had some troll blood in him, tall enough to give Hagrid a run for his money, though he didn't have any of the bulk.

Both of them were battle ready, wands in hand.

"This is going to be fun," I heard Theo mutter before the first move was made.

888

AN: I'm already dreading the next chapter because there'll be so many moving parts but I'm a little excited by it too. Should take a little longer than usual, though, before I have the entire thing done.


	30. Chapter 30

3-05

"Incendios Grata!" three voices shouted, mine among them. My wand buckled as the fire shot out, but I'd been prepared for this; my left arm had moved just as the spell was being said and ignoring the pain that shot through it I held the wand steady even as it fought my meagre strength.

The fire shot out in a thick stream of deep red fire, expanding outwards the further it went from us and the closer it got to the Unspeakables. In the corner of my eye I could see two another plumes of fire stretching from my left, hotter than mine. with flecks of yellow within the flames; the troll moved, in a practised motion reaching at a point at the small of his back and grabbing a shield that materialised from thin air. The thing expanded as it moved its downward arc, growing longer and wider, he slammed it into the ground with enough force that it bit into the Chamber's stone floor.

The sound of cannon fire reverberated through the Chamber, an ugly sound of that turned even harsher as the metal of the shield started to warp, shrieking and groaning under the torrent of our fiery blasts. But as quickly as the sounds had started they stopped and the fire was gone as though it had never been there in the first place.

"Oh, fuck," a voice said, Dudley's, and it was filled with enough terror that a part of me shook. "SHEILDS!" he screamed. There was no fighting or questioning the order, instead incantations of the various variances of the Shielding spells coming to light.

Shield upon shield came to life in a mismatched network: a transparent membrane that could only protect two people with is small size, a rectangular shaft of thick glass stretching to the roof of the Chamber, a blue semi-dome shield, a white shield that hid the sight beyond, three small round shields that spun in the air with enough vigour that they formed larger air shields and other layers that did a very bad job of becoming interconnected.

Another sound reverberated, the boom of a passing jet, the detonation of a large explosions, the collision of two trains moving at full speed. I felt the sound of the explosion passing through me, shaking the world around me enough that I couldn't keep my balance. All of it was nothing to the fact that the world became white, fire erupting from Troll's shield and slamming into our various enchantments.

I saw the fire slamming into patchy network, rolling against it like water and breaking them down; some shield snapped with harsh claps of thunder, brief flashes of light while other stood their grounds, changing in colour before they blew apart. Six shield down and the fire was still rolling to get at us, stopped by those shield that still held.

"Protego Horribilis," voices said, other shield appearing to take the place of shield the fire was eating away. Spells upon spell being cast but the fire was still fighting forward those of us who had been closest to the Unspeakables being forced to get to our feet and move back.

Three shields fell and the heat hit. The air suddenly became hot and dry, droplets of sweat forming on my brow and a fatigue seeping through me.

Then, as quickly as all of it had started, it stopped.

"Okay," I heard Seamus mutter, his voice shaky, "this was a bad idea."

"Yes," said another voice, one I didn't recognise. It was the woman, stepping out from behind the troll's shield with her wand held at her side. "It was. Surrender and we won't need to kill you."

Lavender snorted. "You can't kill us," she said, having to stop to take a breath. "You'll need to question us to figure out why we are the way we are."

"Not really," the woman said, continuing forward and forcing all of us to move back. "We have ways of collecting information from the dead."

"The Room of Thought," Seamus muttered.

The woman stopped at that, her tilted to the side and looking in Seamus' general direction. "You know more than you should," she said. "Consider me curious. I thought it was a bluff before," she went on. "This being your way of making us follow you, but it wasn't." She turned, only her head looking up at the troll. "Let's not kill him, I want to read this myself."

Troll gave a slow nod, shrinking his shield so that it was at his side and then pulling out a wand that was so long it was the size of my arm.

 _It's not the size, but how you use it,_ I reminded myself and a chortled escaped me. Stupid and immature, sure, but I was in a child's body, the least I could do was enjoy immature humour.

"I'm sorry," I said to everyone else, all of whom were looking at me. "I just had a really funny fleeting thought. It's not important though, we can continue with the fight if everyone's in it."

"After that," said Susan. "The smart thing would be to give up."

"It really would," the woman said. She had walked closer, forcing us closer towards the large slab that had Slytherin's head behind it. Being there would limit our movement, something we couldn't have if we wanted to win this.

There were too many of us from my liking, added to that that we didn't know how the other fought we were bound to get in the other's way. That had to be the first thing we didn't, buy each other enough time that we could speak and I already had an idea; I moved, a motion that started at my left near the base of my stomach and slashing my wand in a rising slope.

The troll and the woman moved, both shooting out a salvo of spells mostly in my direction. The others reacted calling up shields while others fired offensive spells, all of it together and it was a mess: shields would activate only to be hit by spells from behind, coming apart before they could do the real work. Some worked though, a small, round shield flew from the point where it had been summoned and intercepted three yellow spells before it broke apart.

I had to duck down as three bolts of blue light flew too near to me but all in all my spell worked, a field stretching from ground to ceiling wall to wall, casting a fogginess beyond and supressing the sound of the spells as it was hit.

"It should hold for five minutes if they don't hit it with any of the Unforgiveable," I said.

"Imperturbable Charm," said Theo. "Why?"

"Because that was horrible," said Susan just as I was about to say the same thing. "We're getting in each other's ways. We're going to lose this if this continues."

"We have to fight differently," said Dudley. "Smarter. Play this so that they don't have any room to breathe."

"First thing, though," I added, before anyone could speak. "We need a clear leader, someone who has some military expertise."

"And I'm guessing that'll be you?" said Neville.

I snorted. "Not at all. This is too large a number for me to lead and I've always followed the plans of smarter people," I told him. A spell slammed into the field, powerful enough that I could see the flash of light from the other side, even hear traces of its sound. "We all fought Voldemort for one reason or another," I said, looking at all of them. No one said otherwise so I continued, "Who here lead an army to defeat him?"

Dudley, Susan and Dean raised their hands.

"Okay," said Terry. "We need the it took to defeat Voldemort for each of you, also the time you were in command."

"Three years," said Dudley.

"Five," said Dean.

"Seven," said Susan.

"Susan it is, then," said Padma. "She fought the longest, she should have the most experience."

"Right," said Susan. "Right." She took a breath. "Twelve of you, spread three times its four. I need us to spread into—" there was a boom from the beyond the field "—groups of four covering three positions of various classifications: shields, offensive spell quantity and transfigurations. It would help if we divide quickly."

Myself, Seamus, Draco and Neville were the transfigurers; Terry, Dudley, Padma and Blaise were the shielders; and Lavender, Theo, Lilly and Dean were the offensive spell fire.

"Two of them and we're still at a disadvantage," said Susan. "They've got years and training on us and, truth be admitted, these bodies are all but useless with our experience. So we have to keep them guessing, working so that they don't know what we're going to do next.

We'll need beast to keep them busy," she said. "Make sure that it increases the numbers they have to be on the lookout for. There'll be that shield, I'm still not really sure what it does—"

"It won't be in play for another five minutes after the field's down," Dudley interrupted. "It magnifies and bounces back spells."

"Noted," said Susan, a smidgen of annoyance in her tone. "The big three?"

"It'll break," Dudley answered.

"Good. When the shield's in play, attack it with the Cruciatus. I'm assuming we don't want them dead?"

"Alive," Seamus and I said at the same time.

"I don't like it, but sure." There was another boom, louder and I could see cracks forming, golden lines stretching through my field. "I'm assuming that when we start with the Unforgivables they'll be playing for keeps."

"Like they haven't been so far," Lavender muttered.

"Trust me," said Seamus. "That was nothing. They should be unconscious, the both of them but they're unfazed by my spell. Either protective armament or they both have creature blood."

"Curses and heavy duty hexes, then," said Susan. "Let's get this started, spell-slingers in the front with shielders and then transfigurers following. Move!"

I moved, getting further back with my companions and focusing on my tasks. I started with birds, setting up a flock of ravens that was a six strong by the time the first fissure formed through my field; Seamus had the same idea, instead of ravens, though, his were sparrows, two in total; Draco had two giant snakes done and Neville had over a dozen frogs, most of which had ran and jumped into the moats around us.

"I'm a little scared with how slow you guys are moving," Neville said, reflecting my own thoughts.

"Quality not quantity," Draco muttered.

"Having both is much better," Seamus said.

The fissure grew larger and then, with a thump and cacophony of sound my spell shattered; the woman said something in language that sounded Asian, in the same motion moving both of her hands. It was as though space bent, a ball of darkness forming in front of her before it released a shaft of towards us.

"Shields!" Susan shouted and an array of different shields formed, the foremost smashed apart before the shaft was stopped cold. "Fire!"

I pointed and my birds flew off, Seamus' doing the same. Curses were said and a myriad of bolts of light flew towards the pair; the Troll moved his wand, in one motion summoning water from the moat and transfiguring into a thick sheet of ice, hiding them beyond. Our spells slammed into the thick wall, chipping the ice but nothing enough to break it all at once.

And then it moved, large shards of ice hurtling towards us at breakneck speeds. Susan shouted and shields formed, similar shield this time around, layered in something that could resemble order if one was drunk and squinted their eyes. A plume of fire stretched up into the sky, in one fell swoop destroying all of my ravens.

"Fire!" Susan shouted and the spell fire started again. The troll spun, moving his in that same motion; the passage we'd been walking down moved, upheaved from the ground to form as a shield. The spells that hit were even less effective than when they'd hit the ice wall.

A spell moved from their side, shooting into the air, breaking apart before it could hit the ceiling and forming a massive cloud. Before an effect could happened from the cloud a frog jumped up from the moats, appearing beside the troll and promptly exploding before the man could react. The reaction was not what any of us could have wanted, causing the troll to only glance in the direction before he gave his wand an errant wave, freezing the water in the moats.

"Oppugno," said Dudley. One of his snake, coiled and then lunged, flying over friends and moving towards the Unspeakable pair. The woman moved her wand, shooting a fast moving spell that was intercepted by a small sparrow that promptly blew apart in a massive plume of fire. The snake couldn't dodge and it too was engulfed by the ever expanding cloud over fire.

There was another detonation and the cloud expanded further, with the added effect that it was now raining fired over the Unspeakable pair; thick gobs of fire that burned even when they met water.

 _Pyromaniacs, the both of them. But hadn't we agreed not to kill them?_

Before I could make this audibly known the fire was gone, with the pair standing where they'd been, the only difference being that there were small burn marks on their clothes.

"Round one, won," said Seamus. "That should have done away with protective enchantments on their clothes. They'll be playing for keeps, now."

As if to prove this, the woman pulled a small bag from her back. She emptied it and no sooner had the marbles—thirty if not forty—hit, that short creatures black creatures with very white, very long teeth appeared, letting off small growls slobbering on what remained of the ground.

"Attack," the woman said, her voice filled with loathing.

Things promptly descended into chaos.

888

AN: This was one approach in writing an action scene. The next chapter should be different. I'm hoping to write it so the entire thing moves fast and seems frantic. Hope the chapter was enjoyed and thank you for reading and reviewing.


	31. Chapter 31

3-06

No sooner had Susan shouted for the spell-slingers to fire, that the two Unspeakables acted, letting lose a stream of fire that moved faster than the dog-things.

"Shields!" Susan shouted and the shielders went to work, crackling as the wave of fire slammed into it, but only a few breaking a part. The fire subsided, but the true objective was revealed: the fire had been a smokescreen, allowing for the dogs to get closer.

The first lunged, slamming into the still active shield, bursting apart on impact. Again there was no space between the two events, another was in the air, flying through the fire created by the last and sucking it up; it slammed into a shield, blowing apart to form a much larger explosion, enough that it took out all the remaining shields.

The spell-slingers stumbled back curses fired at the creatures but without much avail. They moved back far enough that the shielders were ordered to put up more shields but as quickly as the shields were activated they were down, the creatures moving forward.

A bird from Seamus' forming flock took off, moving into the fray and slamming itself into one of the dogs. The thing broke apart into a large plume of fire but it was quickly gone, sucked up by the creatures; one of them opened their mouths quickly after this, letting loose a tight stream of fire, concentrated and pushing through the air, too fast for anyone to react. Theo moved his wand to put up a shield but he was too late, the stream of fire slammed into his shoulder, spinning him through the air before he landed in a clump.

"Go!" shouted Draco and his snake moved forward, pushing through the air and coiling around Theo. Its tail moved, smacking three dogs that had lunged in his direction and smacking them back.

"No fire!" shouted Susan. She had to duck low as spells flew in her direction, bringing forth a shield that caused two of the spell bolts to rebound before she pointed her wand and fired.

"Potter," I heard and snapped at attention. Draco was moving his wand in a complicated pattern and when his stopped a snake popped out, easily towering over me before it could land on the ground. "Stop gaping and fight!" he said.

"Right," I muttered. "Right." I focused, stopping myself from watching and becoming an active participant.

Our ranks had quickly evaporated and we'd descended into a free for all for survival: Draco was summoning snakes and directing them; Susan, Dean and Lavender were fighting the troll, switching between offense and defence; Dudley had put his wand away, instead using the familiar sword and shield; and around there were other battles.

I pointed my wand and fire, spells shooting out as a dog got too close to me and lunged. The red light slammed into the dog, pushing it through the air before it landed. Two more were at me. I pulled up my wand, conjuring a shield. The dog slammed into it, breaking apart into a fiery plume that sent me stumbling back.

Another dog was quickly moving through the flames, maw opened and teeth ready to bite. A spell slammed into its side before it could hit, pushing the thing back. I looked left and Neville had been the one to save me.

A slight nod and I was back in the fray.

Three spell left my wand directed at a dog that was getting too close, each different to see which was most effective: minor hexes bounced off the things while some spells were absorbed and spat back at me. Spells that transferred kinetic energy were the go-to, I discovered.

Bolts of light flickered to my left and I took a few steps back and out of their way. I looked in the direction and I could see the troll, his wand a blur as he shot spells at everyone one in his visual range. I checked and could see the woman fighting Dudley, Dean and Lily, all of who had weapons in hand.

"Protego," I said, when a burst of light moved at me. A thin sheet appeared in front of me, stopping the stream of fire. I moved, arms jerking up and the ice at my side turned to water, rose from the moat and washed back of five dogs before freezing them in place.

"Impedimenta!" I heard and whoosh passed through me, for a moment motion stopped before just as quickly it started, but Padma had earned the upper hand in that small second; a creature made of darkness and tentacles was in front of her, swatting back the dogs before they could get at her.

The small distraction meant that I noticed the chunk of rock flying towards me until it was too late. I moved my wand, gesturing and bring forth a thick stream of energy that broke the things apart. It still wasn't enough, a chunk that was too large escaped, nearly crashing into my head before my protective enchantments activated.

My heart was beating faster, my mouth dry and adrenaline flooding through my system. It took all I had for all of it not to overwhelm me, for the memories of the past not to overwhelm me. All of it was too fast, too much in too short a period and it was overwhelming.

It was getting harder and harder to force back the memories of my own war, and the death and destruction it had wrought. I hadn't truly fought for the longest time after the war and now it seemed like every two days I was being forced in one fight or another, a battle where I could lose people.

 _Push that aside and fight,_ I told myself and the world became clearer.

I ducked low as a dog lunged, sweeping my wand and pushing three back; a sharp twist and a small form shot from my wand, in a millisecond enlarging to ten times its size as my dog tackled theirs. A snake entered my peripheral vision, lunging with maw open and gulping down one of the dogs while taking down another with its tail. Before the snake could act again it was hit by a spell that blew it apart, things worse because the snake exploded in a large plum of fire, in the process taking out the last of my personal shields.

I didn't focus on that, instead choosing to focus on the woman who'd gotten too close. Thick, acrid smoke spilled from my wand, shooting forward and wrapping around the woman as she dodged under Dean's Japanese sword; there was an extra effect from the thing, wind shearing through my smoke.

The woman jumped back, moving out of the smoke only to have it follow her, clinging to her clothes and moving towards her face. She ducked over Dudley's shield, spinning through the air before she landed, reaching for her side with her left hand and throwing a knife towards Lily while her right fired a salvo of spells at Dean and Dudley.

I reached with both hands at my side and two dogs that had been fighting my conjuration were taken off the ground and flung in the woman's direction. Before they could hit her, however, they were stopped by another's effect, dropping to the ground. Another spell came out of nowhere, hitting one of the dogs and making them both explode.

The detonation took the woman of her feet, spinning her through the ground before she slammed into the ground, her wand out of her grasp. She didn't move to get up.

"Mara!" said a voice, deep and filled anguish.

"Everyone, shields!" shouted Susan and I acted on impulse, wand moving to form my strongest shield. The troll moved his wand in a violent motion, letting loose tendrils of blue light that shot out in random directions only to be stopped by our shields.

Seeing this, the man pointed his wand upwards, shooting a burst of light towards the sky and hitting the dark cloud that had formed. There was a deep thrum of thunder that moved through the Chamber before it started raining knives.

"Shields, skyward!" Susan shouted. My shield flickered out as I moved to point to the sky. Shields flickered into being, cracks forming at each impact.

"Shielders!" Susan shouted. "Hold. Spell-slingers, focus fire on the Unspeakable. Transfigurers, focus fire on the dogs."

I let my shield break apart and scanned the grounds. There were about five of the things still remaining but they weren't fighting, instead they'd surrounded the fallen Unspeakable. I focused fire, moving my wand to shoot out a pack of six of my dogs and moving them in the direction of the dogs; I saw a flash of light, spells firing only to be caught by a large metal wall.

"Transfigurers rightward shields!" Susan shouted and I acted, forming large enough shields that they served to shield a portion of our side. The others did the same, similar enough shield that they layered one over the other.

The shield's magic came alive, letting loose thick spells that slammed into the first of our shields with enough force that they broke apart. I was quick though, when I was the connection flicker off I quickly formed a new shield.

"Fire!" Susan shouted as the metal shield shrunk only to say, "Form rightward shields!" as the man revealed himself to be carrying a bazooka. The thing went off, shooting a small missile forward that smacked into the first shield. It didn't erupt into a fiery plume, instead sending out a metallic clang that disrupted every one of our shields.

Knives started raining down but we all had similar enough ideas that we moved in tandem. I waved my wand to one side, pushing a portion of the knife storm towards the large man who'd thrown his bazooka to the side and started running towards us.

The spell-slingers started firing but the man didn't seem the slightest bit fazed, moving through the spells like they were nothing.

"Crucio," I heard a person say and the vivid, red spell shot outwards, shrieking as it moved through the air. The man jumped out of the way of the spell, landing in roll before he was on his feet.

"Cruciatus curse only!" Susan shouted. The air filled with red spells, forcing the troll out of his forward run and instead into the task of dodging the torrent of knives and curses.

"Meteolojinx Recanto!" another voice shouted and there was a crack as a spell detonated in the sky. The knives started to thin down before the cloud evaporated.

"Everyone, focus fire on the troll!" Susan said and that's what we did. The man went on the defensive, wand moving in blinding motions to bring up counter spell, rubble and other conjurations to block the spells hurtling towards him.

His right hand reached for his side and pulled out a bag, dropping marbles on the floor but before they could drop they vanished. He swung low, decimating the stone floor and sending it flying in our direction.

"No shields!" shouted Susan. "Keep fire!"

We fired, a portion of us focusing on the stones while the others kept their attention on the troll. The man seemed to be moving a little slower, but still fast enough that he was still dodging us. Water at either sides of the moats bulged, forming thick tendrils that moved for the troll; between dodging, the man waved his wand and broke apart the transfiguration.

He focused on defending only to be knocked off guard by a series of explosions. Neville's frogs. They didn't do any direct damage but they were enough of a distraction. A small moment of loss of focus and three spells landed, the man was knocked off his feet, a chilling scream let loose.

"Accio wand," said Susan and the man's wand jerked out of his grasp and into hers. "Hold him!"

I pointed my wand, letting out a thick train that snaked around the man. I pointed the wand up and one side of the chain snapped up and flew into the ceiling. Another set of chains moved through the air, snaking around the man and finding purchase in the ceiling. Enough chains and the man was left dangling in the air.

There were similar sounds behind me and when I looked, the same had been done to the woman.

"Anyone hurt?" asked Lily. "I'm pretty good with healing magic."

It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Theo, Dean and Dudley were the one with the most amount of injuries; the hole in Theo's shoulder, as well as cuts and scrapes on Dean and Dudley from their scuffle with the woman.

The damage on the Chamber was incredible, though taking it all in I had the image that it was all at the surface level. This was a chamber created by one of the teachers of Merlin himself, it surely could take the damage.

I conjured a sofa and sat back, feeling tired for the first time. Others had similar ideas because there were more than a few people that were doing the same.

"Round two, won," said Seamus at my side. "Now comes the hardest part, finding out all we can from them."

"I thought you knew everything about the Department," I said.

"That was a lie," he said. "I just needed them interested. Making sure, if you didn't listen to me, that they'd find reason to follow me."

"Good a plan as any, I suppose," I said. "Let's get this started, then."

I stood, myself, Seamus, Blaise, Susan and Padma moving to the troll. We pointed our wands and together we said, "Legillimens…


	32. Chapter 32

Interlude: Mara

 _Something's wrong._

"…New Hampshire," Tazim finished. He took another spoon full of the slop they called breakfast and looked expectantly at Mara. There was a light to his eyes, something she blamed on his overzealous use of Legillimency, a trait he shared with her once Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

 _Something's wrong._

"What about you?" asked Tazim. "Anything interesting happened while you were out?"

"No," said Mara, distracted. _Something's wrong._ She looked over everything, taking it in. They were in the mess, other Unspeakables around them all taking within their private bubbles. Most were dressed in blue robes but there were more than a few that were dressed in dragonhide robes. Her sect.

She looked closer, looking at her table. She sat with Tazim opposite her, the man with two others— **Unspeakables too** —beside him. One Harry Potter, another Seamus Finnigan. Susan Bones seat at the head of the table, the furthest point from her, while to her side was Blaise Zabini and Padma Patil.

 _Something's wrong._

"Mara?" said Padma Patil. "Is something wrong?"

"Something's wrong," she said, putting more weight behind the words. Mara stood, panic starting to seize her and her biological processes starting to take effect: Her heart beat faster, her mouth growing dry and thoughts becoming jumbled.

All at once that stopped at she looked at the five, invaders into her mind.

"It's not going to be that easy," she said, confidence in her voice.

"No," said Seamus Finnigan. "I didn't think it would."

"I'm an Occlumens," she said. She took a breath, ordering her mind and with a push said, "Begone." Nothing happened. Why?

"You'll find that won't work," said Padma Patil. "Even the worst of us is pretty good at mind magic," she said.

"Or at least has enough reason to stay in here that I won't allow myself to be banished," said Harry Potter. "What did we do wrong?" he asked. "Outside the hours are moving. It'll only be so long before we start to attract attention."

"The panic was a little heavy handed," said Susan. "She's a soldier. Her first move won't be panic."

"You know," said Blaise. "This would be all the more easier if we broke her down. If her mind cracked we'd have a better chance wading through the random memories than anything directed."

"That would take too long," said Harry Potter. "And it would also be more trouble that its worth. We still need her in working condition to return her to her post."

Seamus Finnigan hummed. "I don't want to face the Department of Mysteries," he said. "At least not until I'm sufficiently prepared. The whole fight showed me I'd vastly underestimated them."

"Back on point," said Susan Bones. "Let's start this all again."

All at once everything went dark.

All at once everything was alight and a wand was in Mara's hand. She saw it as it moved, little more than a blur hurtling in her direction; she moved her wand in a vertical line erecting a barrier, moving too fast the beast couldn't stop itself and it slammed into the shield, the impact rebounding and sending the beast back into the foliage.

The moon hung above her, letting out a low that she didn't really need.

A full moon and the Alpine Pack was out to play.

She looked to her side and felt a moment's relief. She was surrounded by her teammates, Susan Bones, Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter, Padma Patil and Seamus Finnigan.

 _Something's wrong._

People she trusted with her entire life.

 _Something's wrong._

A wolf howled in the distance, the sound cutting through everything else as it was quickly joined by another, then another and then another until there were half a dozen different pitches to the howls.

"Something's wrong," said Mara.

"Of course something's wrong," said Harry Potter, cautious as always as his eyes scanned around them, wand already moving in the works of his dogs. "We're being attacked." There was a particular cadence to his voice as she understood it, he had a member of the family who was a wolf and to it be perverted like this.

The first moved, a sound to the left only to be pushed back as a salvo of orange lights brightened their surroundings, hitting the trees with enough force that they broke. As if flood gates had been opened, there was activity around them, wolves trying for the attack and only just barely being kept back.

Mara fought, spells flying and silver knives jutting through the air to try and meet their targets. One of them got into their ranks, jumping into the fray and swiping a claw that would have caught her had Susan not intervened, bearing the brunt of the attack…

"…New Hampshire," Tazim finished. He took another spoon full of the slop the called breakfast and looked expectantly at Mara. "What about you? Anything interesting happened in the last mission?"

Mara looked around. She was in the mess, people conversing under their own privacy bubbles and wearing similar robes. At the tables she was with Harry to her right and Susan to her left, when she looked, the woman still had the claw marks from way-back-when.

Across from them and to Tazim's left were Blaise Zabini, Seamus Finnigan and Padma Patil.

 _Something's wrong._

She stood, wand out and pointed at the three intruders. The spell stopped before it could hit, frustration appearing in Blaise Zabini's expression while there was confusion on both Seamus Finnigan and Padma Patil.

"How did you guy play it?" asked Seamus Finnigan.

"People respond to you when you've saved their lives," said Susan.

"Vulnerability," said Harry. "There's something to showing people your weaknesses."

"We'll have to stay away from your particular work," said Padma Patil. "We don't want to muddle it."

"In any case we should watch from this point on," said Susan to Harry. "We don't want to get overzealous." Harry gave a nod.

"I'll leave it to all of you," said Seamus Finnigan. "I have other matters to take care off. Blaise, if you'll join me even for a little while."

The dark skinned boy gave a short nod…

"What have you got for me?" asked Mara, excitement in her voice. Padma Patil stood on the other side of her desk, a myriad of contraptions and blueprints there. She had a little oil on her face and her hair was dishevelled.

"This is intricate work," she said. "But the spell used, concentration and the other more _exotic_ elements mean I can give you the most likely places they were obtained."

"All I need," said Mara…

"I'm taking you out," Mara said.

Padma looked askance. "Why?"

"Because I got a commendation," Mara retorted, excitement in her voice. "Your work led me to Ambrosos. Got his entire gang before they could book it. The Spring Court owes us a favour."

"I really didn't do much," said Padma, pushing a loose strand of her behind her ear.

"You did a lot," she said. "Now, get ready. The night's young and it won't be old until it's mid-afternoon."

Padma smiled…

"…New Hampshire," Tazim finished. "What about you? Anything interesting happened on your last mission?"

Mara shrugged. "I think I must have done something bad at one point," she said. "I've been delegated to watching over a bunch of preteens as they move around Hogwarts."

"They tell you why?" asked Padma.

Mara shook her head, playing with the slop that was her breakfast. It was really rather tasty even if it didn't look like it should be. "Said it might colour my observations," she said.

"Skipping ahead," said Padma…

They stood in the Commander's office, she and Susan, both of them staring at the man preparing to give their report. The man stood in front of them, larger than both with scar crisscrossing his face; he had a barrel chest that slimmed down to give him almost inhuman proportions and yet there was something in his eyes.

"Report," he said to Mara.

"We watched the kids," she said. Mentally compiling the information of the last few hours. "Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. It isn't enough but there's something strange about them. The way they move and the way they talk to each other. I tried to follow Harry Potter into his Slytherin dorm room and I was stopped by wards powerful enough that it would be noticeable if I tried to remove them."

"Beyond that?"

"Um…Potter and his cousin, Dudley Evans, they shared a conversation. They knew about the Department enough that they wanted to gather more information about us. They spoke indirectly, but I got the impression that they were talking about something bigger."

"Specifics?"

Mara shook her head. "Rider and Saleem are on their shift. Be on the lookout when you next return," said the Commander.

Mara gave a short nod and left, exiting the door there were three people beyond. Harry, Padma and Blaise Zabini— _Something's wrong._

"They don't have much except that we act weird," said Susan. "Let's move on. I'm beginning to get a handle on her tells enough to know she's starting to figure things out."

A figure appeared and Mara suddenly knew that something was very wrong. The figure was short and unfamiliar except that she knew his name, Draco Malfoy.

"Potter," the blond said. "You just received a Patronus. Rufus is apparently coming to question you with everything connected to Dumbledore. It said you had five minutes at best before they arrived."

Harry gave a short nod before he disappeared.

"What's—" before she could say more the picture changed and she was in one of the cells.

"Potter won't like this," said Draco Malfoy. There was another figure there, now, Seamus Finnigan. "I've lost some of the ground that I was starting to make up."

"We all agree on this," said Blaise Zabini. "We need word in the Department of Mysteries just was we've gotten word in most other departments."

"It still wasn't enough, though, was it?" said Susan. "We didn't know they were already following us."

"I knew," said Draco Malfoy. "If not because of suspicion then to protect me. Didn't know that Harry would take a higher priority than me though. I'm a little miffed about that."

"Let's move forward," said Seamus Finnigan. "We need to make this violent for it to hold."

"I'll talk to Evans, maybe we can get him into the fold. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders," said Susan. She disappeared.

All at once Mara was surrounded by pain. She could feel the effect passing through her mind, eager hands reaching and grasping, taking and the changing her memories, who she was. She tried to fight but there was only so much she could do because more than one presence was on the attack.

" _What are you doing? What's going on?"_ she heard, the words sounded so far away.

" _Stupefy!"_ said another voice but there was a clink, something passing through the air. There was a scream before the same voice said, _"She scratched me. No. No. No."_

" _Mara!"_ screamed a voice that was familiar but just as quickly it became foreign.

" _This isn't right,"_ the female voice said. _"This will be calling more trouble on our heads than you guys realise."_

" _We've thought about that,"_ said Susan. _"Discussed it. This is the best move. A few hours and it'll be over. We don't have anything against you but if you try to stop us then things are about to get dangerous."_

" _Let's not,"_ said a male voice. _"But this comes back to bite me or my family, then god help you because I will make your life a living hell."_

" _Ditto," said another male voice._

The outside world shut off and the inside world got more frenzied. Memories that were too hard to changed were warped, her darker thoughts magnified until they weren't the same. She didn't see her family the same way anymore, those thoughts and memories changed by their assault on all sides.

Time passed and she got tired. She tried to fight but it was all too hard. When she gave up, things moved faster, the process gentler and some of the memories were not warped as much as they could have been.

All at once she was outside at the fringes of the Forbidden forest, waiting.

Two people appeared without fanfare.

"Where's Cripsley?" asked one of them. Mara shook her head, she could still feel the fatigue from the fight, her shoulder throbbed and her head pounded. There were cuts under her shirt, her eye swollen to the point that she couldn't see well and her lip was cut.

"He left," she said. "More like ran. He was a plant by the Courts. One of the kids was tinkering with something and it made him react, speak truth. I tried to take him down but he just…"

"It's okay," said Saleem. She gave her a pat on the shoulder. "I'll take you back to base so you can report."

There was a sharp twist in reality, passing through a thin tube and then she was surrounded by activity. She took a breath, hoping against hope that they wouldn't detect that it was her. But she'd hidden this long, what were the chances of them finding out now?

888

AN: Reading through this and editing, I had the image that the last part didn't make a lot of sense. Hoping the next arc goes a long way into clarifying all of that.


	33. Chapter 33

4-01

"First some inane questions," said Rufus Scrimgeour, looking at me with a passive expression that did nothing to quell the fervent beating in my heart.

There hadn't been time for preparations, hadn't anything I could do before they'd knocked at my door. But at least Sirius had sent the message and there had been a second to mentally prepare for the worst things right after the Department of Mysteries: Veritaserum.

"Giving the serum enough time to fully fill your system," the man continued.

He sat in front of me, comfortable in one of the chairs in the Headmaster's office. Unusually for the room, we were surrounded by silence. I could see the various artefacts Dumbledore had kept moving in the background, some letting out puffs of smoke, but none made the slightest of sounds. Maybe a Quieting Charm on the majority of the room.

I couldn't see them, but there were people just beyond the room. Professors McGonagall and Snape, some Aurors and Scrimgeour's personal guard. He'd asked that they be outside for this, before moving to put privacy spells over the entire room, enough magic that all of the paintings in the room were without their inhabitants.

"Before we start," I said, the words coming out slow and deliberate. "I should tell you that I'm an Occlumens."

It helped a little being an Occlumens were the serum was concerned. It wasn't fool proof, but it was enough that it could be tricked. A _Perfect Occlumens_ could work their mind so that they could hide certain facts from themselves, stowing memories in vaults so deep and barred that they would essentially forget. I wasn't at that level, more so now than in the future.

At first I'd thought that Professor Snape had been the problem, and though partly it was true, the fault was also with me in a respect. I'd asked for a few favours, gotten a very good Occlumens to give me more lessons after my Auror Instructor had gotten tired of me not being able to clear my mind and given up. It was there I'd learned that there was just this very large hole in my mind.

He hadn't known the cause, still didn't, but Hermione and I had thought it through. Voldemort and I had shared a link for the longest time, a part of his soul within me and that giving me access to his mind and he to mine. Apparently, all those times I'd been feeling a hot poker against my scar, it had been the natural resistance every mind had being bored through, fortifying the connection.

In the end it had worked out. When Voldemort had let his guard down, becoming more erratic, he'd stopped blocking the other end of the connection and given me opportunity for access. Which was bad as much as it was good. In the doing I'd further being fortifying the connection and eroding my natural resistance.

All together it meant, no matter how hard I tried, I could never be a _perfect Occlumens._

"I thought as much," said Scrimgeour. "Which is the reason my questioning you took this long."

"It's only been two days," I said, the words spilling out. I frowned, took a breath and calmed my churning mind. It was part of the serum, bringing my thoughts closer to the surface while also compelling me to speak the truth. The reason I'd been speaking slower in the first place.

"Yes," Scrimgeour said, his expression shifting the slightest bit and the corner of his mouth quirking upwards for the barest seconds. "Two days in which I was able to order the American brew of the Veritaserum," he told me.

"That must have required you to humble yourself," I said. Again, the words spilling out. Frustration touched my features and panic started to seize me before I pushed the latter down. "I think the serum is working."

"Yes," said Scrimgeour. "I think it is. Though I'm rather curious about your last comment. What did you mean by it?"

I felt the impulse to speak but I pushed it back, got my breathing and mind in order. It was just the truth. I just had to tell the truth while not letting on about everything and also nothing thinking too much about it because I might impulsively say it.

"I'm not an expert," I said. "But relations between countries are much like a massive pissing contest. It's not much, but I have this image in mind that importing something sends the message that you can't do it yourself, something you don't want your rival knowing."

"True in some cases," said Scrimgeour. "Overly simplified but it is a child's view of it all. Back to why I'm here. My questions. State your full name for the record."

"Harry James Potter," I answered. A quill at Scrimgeour's side started jotting down my words.

"And how old are you, Mr Potter?" he asked.

Complicated, but at least I was confused about that myself that the spell didn't force anything out of me.

"I like to think I'm mentally an adult," I said. True in the broadest terms when one considered time versus maturity. I was basing the statement more on the latter than the former. "But, as people have reminded me, I'm an eleven year old child."

Scrimgeour hummed and I could see the suspicion, slight enough that I might not have seen it were I not looking for it.

"Is it true that on the night of the fourth you applied to become an adult in the eyes of the law?"

"True," I told him.

"Do you mind telling me why?"

"Simplified, I wanted to a sit in the Wizengamot," I said.

"And the more complicated version of events?"

"I knew that Dumbledore would be tried," I told him. "I know enough about the legal system to know it would be sorted by the Wizengamot. I wanted to see how everything happened. Make sure, in all of this, that was happened to my godfather doesn't happened to him or Hagrid for that matter."

Scrimgeour gave a nod, leaning forward. "You mention that you want a seat on the Wizengamot," he started. "And that you know the legal system. Isn't it out of reason that you're Dumbledore's plant in all this? That you would use the meetings to get information and pass it back to Dumbledore. Helping him and Mr Hagrid, evade justice?"

"It's certainly possible," I said.

Moments passed where nothing was said. Scrimgeour looking at me with an expression that made me want to tell him my deepest darkest secrets. It was even harder with the serum at work because all of that actually seemed like a pretty good idea. It was all I could do to stop myself from just blabbing. But I could feel it as my mind worked against me, pushing for the thoughts I had to be said out loud.

I did know where Dumbledore was. Hidden away in Grimmauld place which had already been put under the Fidelius Charm by Mad Eye. I knew some of the people who worked to keep him away from Aurors and I could tell Scrimgeour if I wasn't careful.

"Tell me about the events preceding the death of a Hogwarts student," said Scrimgeour.

"I was out with friends," I said. "After curfew. We were attacked by an Unspeakable—"

"Unspeakable?" said Scrimgeour, a hint of surprise. "How do you know it was an Unspeakable?"

"It was a vampire," I said. "The wards keep out vampires. Hogwarts is a place with one of the strongest wards in Great Britain. In regard to the wards, it would take a very powerful person to slip by them. The Courts are being heavily watched. Voldemort hates vampires and wouldn't use them."

"You're giving me a lot of statements, I'm seeing," he said.

"I'm giving you a sneak peek into how my mind works," I said.

"You're also doing a good job of evading the compulsion of the potion," he said. "With statements you're letting me fill in the blanks instead of outright lying."

 _Of course you're suspicious enough to figure this all out,_ I thought.

"Tell me the truth, Mr Potter. How did you know it was an Unspeakable?"

This wasn't an interrogation. But it could just as well become one. It didn't take much to think that they could cleanly tie me up into this entire thing. I'd been with Dumbledore when he'd killed the girl, I'd even said aloud that Dumbledore had been training me so I didn't seem _as_ odd as I must have seemed.

If he wanted to, he could at least hold me on suspicion. But he wasn't why?

 _Don't think about that,_ I told myself. _At the current state you're more likely to come out of this looking as though you're on the defensive._

But what then? Was I just supposed to be on the defensive?

 _Play this another way, Potter. Work so there's a cause for the evasion. He'll still be suspicious, but that's suspicion you'll be able to play off before getting your mind in order._

"I'm not comfortable with this," I said. True. _Very_ true. "I know I'm an adult but that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind having Sirius, Remus or Aunt Petunia with me."

"I very much doubt the sentiment behind that, Mr Potter," he said. "It's surely not the attention that's getting to you. You seemed to revel in it in the Wizengamot meeting. I have to assume it's the questions, then. Would it be better served if I asked you all this question in an interrogation room?"

"I'd really rather not," I said.

"The tell me how you knew it was an Unspeakable," he said.

Lying would have been so much easier, then. But I couldn't, which left me slivers of the truth. "I figured it out," I said. "And you might not want to believe it but that's how it went. We were being attacked. I found out that it was a vampire and through all that I made the leap that it was an Unspeakable."

Scrimgeour gave a nod. "Continue."

"Dumbledore arrived and apprehended the Unspeakable," I continued. "I was hurt so he sent us to the infirmary. I think he was going to question us, on why we were out after curfew but he never got the chance to do so because of the attack. The snake. He travelled back in time to get me."

Scrimgeour's eyebrows rose at that.

"He said that he didn't believe Hagrid would be the one to do this," I continued. "I'm not sure, but I think he was afraid of Hagrid getting sent to Azkaban. The incident that ended with Hagrid's wand broken means he'll always be the first suspect where the Chamber of Secrets is concerned, never minding the fact that Voldemort, a Parselmouth, attended school in the same period.

"He wanted us to figure it out. Who could've sent the thing and the how of it. We both thought it was Voldemort who was the true player and we sort to find him."

"Voldemort's dead," the man said.

"In a sense," I said. "But in the sense that matters he isn't. We followed leads that led us to the Hogshead. There we confronted who we thought was Voldemort. We thought she was going to kill Dumbledore's brother, Abeforth, but it turns out it was all this giant illusion."

"I feel like there's a lot you're not telling me, Mr Potter," he said. "A lot of detail that might make this clearer and easier to solve if you did. You said she," he said. "Who is the she?"

"Su Li," I said. "We think she's possessed, for lack of a better word."

"How, if it does, does this connect to the late Professor Quirrell's death?"

"It does," I said, saying the words slowly, getting my mind to work faster. "He was also possessed."

"Am I to believe that Professor Quirrell was possessed one minute, before Su Li was the next? What purpose would that serve in the grander scheme do you think?"

"I don't know," I said. It was easier to say this because of the question, how it was phrased, the word choice.

"How does his dismemberment fit into all of this? Professor Quirrell, I mean?" the way he spoke, the cast of his eyes, it seemed as though he was speaking more to himself than to me. Firmly, I told my mind that he most probably was and that I shouldn't be compelled to answer.

"This hasn't helped all that much," the man said. He glanced at his watch. "But the effects would be fading at this point and I think it best if I had some time to let all of this ruminate. It's highly likely that I will have more questions for you though."

I nodded, watching the man as he stood. He started walking towards the door when I suddenly heard, "Tell me the people who were out with you that night."

"Dudley, Draco and Lily," I said, faster than I could help myself. "Fuck you," I said, something I'd been thinking. Scrimgeour smirked, not even hiding that he revelled in his victory.

"Thank you for you cooperation, Mr Potter," he said before the door opened. I pulled out my wand, pictured the message in mind before three Patronii sprang out and flew into the floor.

The moment Scrimgeour opened the door there was a massive clang that reverberated all around us, all the spells around the room breaking. He walked out, talking a few words with the professors before I heard his footsteps moving away. A moment later Professor Snape walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Leave, all of you," he said. I noticed for the first time that the paintings had been returning. "Except you, Nigellus. You'll tell all this to Sirius."

Looking at the painting there was a smug look to him as he took his seat.

"Tell me everything, Potter," he said without really looking at me. He had his wand out and he was moving it in very showy gestures as he layered wards in the room. "Leave. Nothing. Out."

"Told him all I could," I said. "Told him the truth because I was bloody under the effects of Veritaserum."

"Childs play to outmanoeuvre," he said.

"Which I tried, mind you, but there's a greater scope to think of here," I said. "If I was being evasive I might be booked and the methods to getting the information might have been more invasive."

"A time traveller and you're still a lot like your father," Snape muttered. "Thinking you know everything when you know nothing. Think about it, Potter, why hasn't he arrested you? There's enough information at hand and you've certainly made things easier for them with becoming an adult."

"You know," I said, disregarding all that. "You're making it very hard to like you right now." I hadn't meant to say that, but I felt it, which meant there were still traces of the serum in my system.

Snape ignored all this. "You're the Boy-Who-Lived. An icon in the Wizarding World."

"It all makes sense in retrospect," I muttered under my breath. "Public perception. They have to play this massive game of keeping people happy while also looking as though they hold all the power. Something like this would likely cause emotional upsurges, likely to cause riots."

"Perhaps you're not a total idiot," he said.

"Oh sod off," I said. Snape stopped his pacing, looking at me. "You're still on that? Treat me like shit because of your crush to my mum, how my father treated you or that, ultimately, you're the reason the both of you stopped being friends?"

It happened so fast I could have missed it: Snape brought up his wand, letting loose a white spell. I leaned to one side, wincing as pain shot up my right arm but I ignored it, landing in a roll before coming to my feet.

"Stupefy!" I said. He drew a line through the air, conjuring a weak shield that disappeared. He was preparing to fire a spell my wand when my second spell slammed into him, shooting off his feet and into the air. I grabbed his wand out of the air before it could land in my face.

"I have the feeling this is going to be a long year," I said. "I respect you enough that I think we can get along. Let's not mess that up because unlike last time I'm not going to take your _shit_ for six years. I'm going to leave now. I think Scrimgeour was punishing me because I still have that damned potion in my system. It's better if I'm not around anyone."

I tossed his wand at him and left.


	34. Chapter 34

4-02

Taken together it wasn't surprising that at some point in my incarceration, I fell asleep. One moment I was on my feet, pacing with my thoughts at the surface and my mouth moving as those thoughts spilled out. I'd taken a seat on my bed, reclined after a little while before being woken up my alarm clock.

I took a breath, running a hand through my hair after my shower. I got my wand out and started with my hair, transfiguring it so that it looked presentable; then there was the task of my clothes, choosing something that fit well into the general atmosphere of Slytherin while looking stylish, making a mental note to really go shopping at some point.

Then it was the thinking. So much had happened the night before, not enough that I could really put it all together but enough so that there was a lot to think about. That the Unspeakables had been gunning to kill us in the first place, that the troll Unspeakable could be that adept in the Mind Arts that he'd almost usurped control from a few in our number, and the fact that we were effectively being investigated by two separate—yet dangerous—magical divisions.

Most of all, it was the fact that I might have gotten Dudley, Draco and Lily into trouble, something I didn't want on my conscious. Not mentioning the fact that they would have had only a few minutes to prepare, with none of them being able to share on the story I would most likely have chosen to stick with.

I forced myself to stop the impulse to run my hand through my hair. It was especially hard since it was a habit ingrained in my being as long as I could remember. I fixed my glasses, taking them off and giving them an inconsiderable, though blurry, look.

They were the worst of liability and also they could be my greatest strength. Ideas started popping into my mind, more so when I thought about Seamus and the way he'd fought when we'd first met. He'd used tools, same with the troll and his shield disrupting bazooka, and Dudley and his weapons.

"Accio, book," I muttered. I sat back on my bed and getting to jotting down notes: The glasses were made of metal, fortunately, but I would need to change that if I wanted it to be able to hold more enchantments before breaking apart. As it was, though, that number was limited.

 _Note to self: Get a different metal for the glasses._

 _Other note: think about changing the glass two. Perhaps dragon forged(?)_

For the time being there were things I could do though. My trade for my glasses at present were three spells, making the glasses Unbreakable and Impervious, and also unable to be summoned using magic. But I had to expand beyond that. It took time for my trade Human Revealment Charm, but I could enchant my glasses with the spell so that I could activate it and deactivate it, I could layer a version of the Supersensory Spell, make it so the glasses could enhance my sense of sight and hearing.

There was a lot more I could do, but not at present. There was still a lot to do, a lot to find out about everything and there was seeing how everything would fall into place. There was, ultimately, finding and killing Voldemort and then figuring out the reason to why I and the others were here, and then decide whether I was going to stay or not.

Even considering it in the broad terms it was a hard decisions: What I had there versus what I could have right now.

"Stop," I muttered to myself. "In the future."

It would take a lot of figuring out, the spell concentrations and figuring out how I would add the variances in the spells. I wasn't a spell crafter by trade, but working as head of the Auror Corps, being around people like Hermione, they had forced me to have an interest in that sort of thing. The same sort of interest that had eventually spread out into my fetish with transfigurations and conjurations.

My stomach grumbled before I could get anymore done and as I got up, moving to my door, the thoughts of the outside world came with them.

It was late enough into the morning that there weren't many people in the Common Room, most would be in the Great Hall or out. This was the first weekend in Hogwarts and though the school term had been irregular, that meant something at least in the emotional sense. We could be free from teacher and just be kids, at least those of us who were in the first place.

Few though they were, I couldn't help but notice the looks that they shot my way. Many of the few stopping in their conversations to look in my direction. It was easier to ignore it now than it would have been in the past, but it was still noteworthy. I started moving towards the door when I stopped, the sound of footsteps behind me.

A girl was making his way towards me, the same girl I'd escorted back to the dorm rooms when she'd been drunk during the Hufflepuff party.

"What's going on?" I asked when she was close enough.

"One good turn deserves another," she just said, handing over a copy of the Daily Prophet. "Giving you time to gather yourself before you go out there."

I frowned, opening the paper to have my stomach drop at the headline: _Harry Potter, Parselmouth. Perhaps a descendant of Slytherin?_ by Rita Skeeter.

A naïve part of me said that this was in line with Rita Skeeter. This was her personality seeping into the words, even with how bold she was in making claims to my past and the conclusions she drew when certain events played into question. But the older part of me could see it all, consider the past and my conversation with Snape—something a part of me regretted, though not all of me—and I couldn't help but see this all as a huge smear campaign.

They couldn't truly arrest me without earning the public's ire, something unneeded when Voldemort was rumoured to be out there. But they would _needed_ a more aggressive stance where it came to questioning me and since I wouldn't voluntarily allow them too, they needed enough public doubt that there wasn't a chance at rebellion when they eventually took me in.

 _Clever bastards,_ I thought. Which shouldn't have surprised me because without an ounce of subtly to it, the same was being done to Dumbledore. Almost every day there was a reminder of what he'd done, that the evidence the Aurors had had been enough to strip him of all his titles, even bringing up the past of Dumbledore's brother—who hadn't been seen since the attack—and father.

"Thank you," I said to the girl. She gave me a nod before returning to her friends. I stood in place for a moment, considering what I should do before my stomach finally won over. I'd think more of this when I wasn't hungry and I needed to show people that this didn't bother me in the least.

There were looks, heavy sort of looks but none heavier or more heated than Snape who was seating at the head table. In his mind I'd probably vindicated all the parts that made me like the bullies he'd faced through Hogwarts, overlooking everything he had been saying to me or the way he treated everyone around him. It would do nothing for me to think about that now, more sense to consider everything else that had happened. All the more important things.

I went over to the Hufflepuff table and set next to Dudley and Justin, cutting off a conversation the two had been sharing. As was usual at this point, I took out my wand and muttered the Muffling Charm to keep our conversations private. I had to wonder what everyone else thought when they saw this, those perceptive enough to notice in the first place though. Was there even reason to worry at this point. We were being watched and we knew it, we had more restrictions now, sure, but there was also a little more wiggle room.

We could act bolder clear in the knowledge that we couldn't get even _more_ suspicious.

"Hey," said Dudley, he had a tired look to him. "You read the Prophet?"

I nodded. "Ministry's making a play, I think," I told him. "Trying to discredit me so they can eventually arrest me."

"A lot of trouble when they could just do it," said Justin. He was within our bubble. I didn't trust him. I didn't not trust him. He was just in some sort of Limbo, what helped him was that it looked like Dudley trusted him. _Looked_ being the operative word of course because Dudley was a great actor.

"Before, maybe," I said. "When there was only the prophet they could have kept it hushed up. Away from the greater populace. But now they've seen that the Herald is eerily good at getting information people are trying to hide. They have to make sure I don't have much public standing."

"Smear campaign," said Dudley. "Commendable."

Justin gave Dudley a look before he shook his head. I grabbed a few items of food, eating before I got into the conversation. "What happened with everything, after I left and what about Scrimgeour?"

"Scrimgeour tried to question me," he said. "But he couldn't, not really. I told him I'd spent long enough with you to know about the law and that he wasn't in any right to question a minor without their parents or a guardian present. I also sort of threatened to tell the Herald if he tried to do so without my knowledge, citing that I had enough Occlumency knowledge to notice a gap in my memory and I would add two and two together when I eventually talked to you."

"You threatened the Head of the Auror Corps?" said Justin before giving his head another shake. "I sometimes wonder about you, whether it wouldn't have been a more perfect fit if you were in Gryffindor."

"Right," said Dudley, stabbing against a sausage. "It's that damned hat that got me landed here. Sure I enjoy it and in a way it's a great fit, but on the surface level Gryffindor's the best fit for me."

"Why did the hat send you here?" I asked.

"I'd rather not say if you don't mind," said Dudley. I shrugged at that. "Anyway, with everything else, things didn't end up so well," he said. "Sides were drawn and a plan we didn't know about was put into effect."

A brow rose at that. I looked in Justin's direction, wondering if he was hiding the information from him before realising that there was no doubt an Unspeakable in the castle, most probably listening in on us.

"What happened," I asked. "Broad strokes?"

Dudley sighed, gave it a moment's thought before he said, "Eat we'll find a place to speak." I nodded and got to my breakfast, eating with enough vigour and such a great quantity that I might have seemed like Ron if one squinted.

Fifteen minutes passed before Dudley and I were walking through the halls headed towards the Owlery. I hadn't seen Hogwarts in a few days and I missed her. We didn't talk much, a silence between us as we moved until we got to the Owlery. From there were took a shortcut to the basement to fetch Steve and then moving onto a spot in front of the lake.

We layered wards around the place, making sure that if anyone passed through them we'd noticed and absolutely none of our sound would be heard.

"What's up? What happened?" I asked.

Dudley was quiet for a moment, watching as Steve played with Hedwig. The thing was really one-sided, with Steve chasing after Hedwig, and the latter looking at the former reproachfully before taking off to be a distance away.

"I don't really understand it," said Dudley. He was quiet again for some time before he shook his head and said, "They did something, the others that were doing the whole mind thing. The Unspeakable lady just screamed after you left. We fought over it, Lily even scratched Terry, but Dean managed to stop it with the little pull he had over everyone.

"Susan explained, though as vaguely as she should, that _they_ had discussed what they were doing and that it was for the greater good. Speaking with the others, they said that they were warping the woman's memories, changing her on an intrinsic and permanent level. The worst sort of mind magic."

"Why?" I muttered under my breath. "Why would they do this? Why would they be that stupid?"

Dudley shrugged. "They were real intent on it, though," he said. "Even going so far as to say they'd put real effort into stopping us it we tried to stop them. I really couldn't do much from then on because your Patronus arrived."

"This all doesn't make sense," I muttered. "Tell me the people involved."

"Susan, Draco, Seamus, Blaise, Terry, Neville though he kept his distance, not participating in the fight, Padma. In essence all the people Seamus had on his side with a two in our own number."

"This is what they were talking about," I muttered, realising. Dudley looked at me with confusion. "At the party, Susan said something about alliances. I'm not sure if my mind is making this up, but Draco might have said the same thing. This is what they were talking about. Is this what they were talking about?"

"Oh, crap, you're going to go conspiracy again, aren't you?" Dudley muttered.

"Blaise and Seamus, I can connect the two. It's easier between the others because they're mostly in Ravenclaw. They have influence which means Neville would join them. Susan is the trouble. With her it means there might be more in their society that we don't know about."

"Bad of it all," said Dudley. "It limits the amount of pull that—"

"Hermione," I said. "She's a part of it." Dudley stopped, looking at me. "She has influence, she's thinking broader scope and most of the people in this society have money, pull, making perfect investors."

"It has merit, but we won't know of its truth unless we ask her," he said. "I'm not sure she'd tell us the truth, to be honest. But less focus on that and more on the mind thing. What did you find out?"

"That she doesn't know much," I said. "They're compartmentalised. They don't even tell them the missions they gone on, just tell them to be vigilant. She and the person we're after are Hit Wizard and that's their sole deal. There's a lot of information in her mind about busts she went on, troublesome people she put down and that sort of thing."

"Nothing to explain why we're here?"

I shook mind head. "I think for that we might have to infiltrate the sect that works with time," I said and in that moment it hit. "Infiltration," I said.

Dudley nodded. "They're want to figure it all out just as we are and they're doing that through infiltrating the Department," he said. "It's brilliant, truth be admitted."

I couldn't help but hum.

"So what do we do about it?" he asked.

I shrugged because I really didn't know what to do. "Leave them," I said. "Keep a watch on them and make sure they don't do anything untoward but beyond that?" I shrugged again. "They have more of a chance of figuring all this out that we do. If Hermione is in there and a majority of Ravenclaw, then really they're our best bet."

"So we just focus on what?" asked Dudley. "Doing nothing? Because at this point there isn't much we can do on most fronts. The Order's taking care of Voldemort and Su. The Society is taking care of the whole figuring why we're here."

"I think I've infected you with my inability to stand still," I said.

Dudley snorted. "You are pretty infectious."

"I'll try and take that like a compliment," I said. "How about this. You teach me to do the whole relaxing business. In the pass time we get these bodies up to grade with you teaching me fighting and me teaching you magic."

"I could do that," he said. "We could also invite a few people, set up our alliances, share fighting tips and tricks."

"Fun idea, who are you thinking?" I asked.

"Justin and Lily, first and foremost," he said.

"Dean too. Lavender, I like her," I said. "Theo has an adventurous streak in him that makes me think he would do well in that sort of club."

We hashed it over, going over the people we thought most likely wouldn't have a conflict of interest between the Society and the little group of people we would be getting. It was harder than I expected and we stopped through it all because people with brooms fly over us at around midday with Hufflepuff colours.

"Quidditch," I said. "Great hand-eye coordination training."

"Very good hand-eye coordination training," Dudley agreed. "Let's steal some brooms."

It really wasn't that hard to do. We found where the brooms were, disabled the spells on the locks and then flew the way to the Quidditch pitch. The trials for Hufflepuff were in effect and I watched as Dudley broke into them. He summoned a beater's club and started playing.

He was a pretty good beater, far better than a seeker and he hadn't been a slouch either.

Eventually the couch rose into the air, not Cedric, but a girl I didn't know. They had a chat with Dudley before he returned to me with the broadest of grins.

"They're going to speak to Professor Sprout, but I have a reserved spot."

For the first time my stomach plunged because I didn't the same would be said for me when it went to my head of house. I was not Snape's favourite person right now.

"Crud," I muttered under my breath.


	35. Chapter 35

4-03

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Dudley as we walked through the castle. We'd spent a lot of time going over the people we'd pick for our little club with Dudley going over the approaches he'd use in each encounter and now was my chance to whinge over this before Slytherin's trials tomorrow.

"Don't know," I muttered under my breath, rubbing my chin in remembrance of a beard I no longer had. "I think I'm going to have to be all manipulative mastermind and play people."

"You mean the best sort of fun," Dudley said.

"I rather more direct means, personally," I said to him. "Wand pointed and a spell said."

"That's no fun," said Dudley. "No fun at all. And I think it means I'll be the one who has to go and convince people…wait? Was this your plan all along? Angling the conversation in this direction so you could get me to do all the work?"

I looked at him, letting a grin spread over my expression before I stamped it down. A chuckle slipped through before I shook my head. "I'm not that good a social manipulator as that. Perhaps a few pointers?"

"It's really easy," said Dudley. "I know I make it about the acting but it's really not about that. I just happen to be a good manipulator which makes things a little easier. Okay, the first thing to ask is, what do they want? This can fall into several categories but the easiest are money, love or attention. Then the second one is using that to get what you want?"

"That sounds vastly more complicated than you think it is," I said.

"But you're already there," said Dudley. "Another aspect is knowing how to read people and you're good at that. Just put it in my mind when you're watching people. Look at particular how they react to certain things and establish a pattern. When you see that, it becomes easier to see the greater pattern of how people react and you can throw various threads into the air, seeing which sticks."

I had stopped, not that Dudley had noticed, and instead watched him as he spoke. He stopped on noticing that I was trailing behind and looked at me, undoubtedly seeing my dubious expression.

"What?" said Dudley.

"Your mind," I said. "It must be a beautiful thing."

"Don't make me blush, Harry," he said with a large grin. "Anyway, this wasn't just natural born talent, it was cultivated skill. You can learn it to."

"I'll work on it," I said. "Maybe it'll help me with everything that I've been doing."

Dudley hummed. "Well, this has been a good day, but Steve and I have relationships to cultivate in Hufflepuff."

"See you at dinner?" He gave a nod before walked into a corridor. With Hedwig still at my shoulder I started scaling up staircases until I was in the library. "Do you mind staying outside, girl?" I asked her. "Madam Pince won't take too well to you in the library."

The look she shot at me was smouldering. She jumped off, flapping her wings enough than they hit me as she flew away. The window in the distance opened and she flew out. She'd find her way back to the Owlery.

I walked in and as usual there was an excess of Ravenclaws and a few crowds of other houses, mostly the upper years. There was a small space in the library filled with scrolls upon scroll of empty parchments, inkwells and enchanted quills for the absent-minded sorts—which was mainly comprised of Gryffindors but we weren't the most studious sorts with the exceptions of a few.

I chose an empty table, put up some minor wards to make it harder to see what I was up to and for that matter what I muttered under my breath. I also made sure that no one could walk into the space while I was out and away and then I got to work, picking up books on magical metals and enchantments through the ages. The further back one went, the more spells were geared towards combat. But then, those were different times.

Reading through everything was a task in patience, researching metals which were still available now without all the red tape in dealing with the Goblin Nations was harder still but this was from my protection. Whether I liked it or not there were too many unknowns in people I'd known quite well before, heck, even my best friends were unknowns which meant the danger could come from any direction.

With my notes compiled I left my little area and put the books back, almost feeling Madam Pince's loving gaze at the little gesture. Still in the enchantment section, I pulled out books with more recent works—which was unfortunately still about a decade back in magical terms.

Before going back to my seat I grabbed another half dozen scrolls. I read over the enchantments in one book, even moving swiftly through the wand motion and incantation before I started enchanting the a piece of parchment. The spell was quick and relatively easy, resulting in a small flash of golden light before I poured a healthy amount of ink into the paper.

It disappeared on contact.

Next was bewitching the glasses. I pulled them off, ran them through with the spell and then put them on the piece of parchment.

Another exercise in patience because I could do nothing but wait for fifteen minutes while the spell ran its course. Harder still because I was almost blind through the entire thing.

When I judged that more than fifteen minutes had passed I put on my glasses. There was print written all over the parchment, going into details on the types of material the glasses were made out of and how they might react to certain grades of spells.

I felt as a person touched the edges of my wards and I reacted on instinct, my wand jerked and everything in front of me vanished.

"Holy fuck, Vanishing," said the voice of a girl. "Really?" she said as she took a seat in front of me. "I remember when old Maggie was trying to teach us that and it was the hardest thing for me. And you, a first year, can do it. Non-verbally at that?"

"I'm sorry," I said slowly. "But…"

"What am I doing here?" asked Tonks. "Was going to study when I saw you hear. Thought I'd say hello. Hello."

"Hi," I responded. I wasn't entirely sure if I knew her or not now with things being so different. It was best to stay on the side of caution.

"I'm guessing it's true then, what they say," she said. "About Dumbledore having trained you for You…" She took a breath, "Voldemort's return? I can't think of another way you'd be able to do that without some sort of special training."

"Yeah," I said. There really wasn't that much reason to hide it, especially since it gave me more wiggle room.

"Awesome," she said. "That must be the coolest things. Same thing here," she said. "Well, on the route to more than anything. If I do well in the first half I could get a chance to talk to the new Headmaster so they can get me to shadow the Auror biz."

"You want to be an Auror?"

"Unspeakable," she said. She morphed, changing her hair colour and making her features more robust. "I'd be very good at infiltration. But the only way to get through them is first through the Auror Corp before they recruit you and Fidelius your entire life away."

"What?"

"Well, why do you think that anyone can't get a pin on who Unspeakables are?" she said.

"There are many mental spells that would achieve the same ends, I'm thinking," I said, "and the Fidelius Charm is very, _very_ hard to cast."

"And they have very knowledgeable people," she said and the she shrugged. "What were you working on that you hid so fast?"

"Things," I said. "I'm sorry if I don't feel comfortable to tell you."

"It's okay, I get it. Probably thinking about how to deal with the Ministry and everything," she said. "You are going to deal with it, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "I'll let it blow over. But hire lawyers in the interim. Maybe goblins. They're good at that sort of thing."

"And expensive," she said.

"I'm rich. Or rich enough that it shouldn't matter for a while. And I really didn't do anything even if the Ministry thinks otherwise."

"But you were there," she said. "When it happened. When Dumbledore…"

"Yes," I said. "I was there and I'm not going to talk about it. If you don't mind I'll like to return to my work now. In privacy."

"Right. Right. Sorry," she said. "Maybe we can talk again another time? When you're not busy?"

"Sure," I said. She gave a nod and then walked off. Only when she'd left I realised that right there would have been the perfect time to practise the things Dudley had told me about.

I un-vanished my stuff and looked through the intricacies of the metal. With that, I had an image of the sort of spells the glasses could take before they burst and I was already scripting down the ones I'd use. When that was done I took my scrolls and headed further up until I was in the Hospital Wing.

"Mr Potter," Madam Pomphrey said. "Please don't tell me you've been in another fight."

"No," I said. "I just I wanted to do some magical work on my glasses and I know I might mess it up so I might need a new set of glasses."

"This isn't magical knowledge, Mr Potter," she said. "Just common sense, but I think the solution to all this might be to not work on your glasses. Instead leave them as they are."

"I'd really like to," I said.

She sighed. "Then I'll talk send post to your Aunt," she said. "A day or two and we'll have you taken to a specialist."

"Can't you do it?" I asked. "I'd really rather not have this getting out."

"I'm afraid that's not my field of expertise," she said. "There's really no other way."

"Okay. Thanks," I said. I gave her a look before I left. "I'm wondering why you aren't more curious about all this."

"Oh, I am, Mr Potter," she said. "But I've learned to quell my curiosity when it comes to Dumbledore and all those in his close circle. Good day, Mr Potter, I have other matters to attend to."

A few days before I worked. It wasn't the worst sort of timeline.

I started making my way to the Slytherin Dungeons, my head considering the various ways I needed to play Snape in order to get things going my way. I took a breath, moving through my objectives and the various routes I could take to achieving those goals. I thought more in line with how Dudley had phrased it.

It was less about what I wanted, but more about using what Snape wanted to get what I wanted.

What did Snape want?

A lot of things but I needed to narrow this down to fall in line with what I wanted. Snape was competitive, had been since my arrival in Hogwarts, and that competitive nature was more prominent with Professor McGonagall with their respective House Quidditch teams. If I wanted Snape to allow me into our team, then I had to make sure that the others teams looked stronger, in particular I had to make sure that Gryffindor was stronger.

With a grin I changed direction, detouring and finding my way up to their tower.

"What do you want, Potter?" asked a girl I didn't entirely remember, a sneer on his face."

"I'm looking for Draco," I said. "Is he in?"

"Not about to tell you," she said, a smugness to her expression.

"Not that I need you to," I said. "He'll be down at any minute. Already sent the message to someone who was more than happy to do it form me." The portrait opened at that very moment. "Draco, can we talk?"

"Yeah," he said. "What was that about? She looked particularly upset."

"I reminded her that she isn't important in the grander scheme," I told him. "She was trying her level best to make a power play. Small in the grander scheme."

"Your thinking is very Slytherin," he said. "Which makes me a little worried about the direction this impromptu meeting is going to take."

"You should be worried," I said. "Because I'm going to confront you, albeit with more civility. You didn't tell me about your Society. Heck, I'm a little insulted I wasn't invited."

"I could direct it back to you," he said. "You're building an army."

"That already moving through the vine?" I said, not surprised.

"Dudley's started making moves," he said. "He spoke to someone who's in our, as you've dubbed it, Society. Word is getting back and people are a little antsy."

"First off, I'm not building an army," I told him. "And second, don't turn this around. This about what you did to me. You didn't tell me, which makes our little project together a little harder when we don't have trust. I'm not sure which information to hide and which to tell you about. I'm not even sure you entirely care about this."

Draco stopped at that, anger spreading through his expression.

"Okay, going too far. Sorry," I said. "But this does put us in a tight spot."

Draco took a breath, smoothing his features. "I'm sure you have something I have to do to make you feel as if you have to trust me," he said. "That's the general drift of how things work in that house."

"Yes," I said. "I want you to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Seeker."

Draco looked a little surprised at that. "That's a little more mild than I was expecting," he said. "I'm a little disappointed too. I thought you'd want to grill me on who's looking to take the Head position."

"I am interested," I said. "But I'm trying to focus less on that and more on being a kid."

"So this is a personal favour?" he said.

I gave him a short nod. "Then I'll do it," he said. "Gryffindor needs a good Seeker with how pitiful their team has been in closing the games."

"Thank you," I said.

"I'm guessing now you want to know about the Head position?" Draco asked and he grinned when he saw my expression. "With everything going on with Dumbledore a majority of the Board doesn't want a sympathiser as heading the school. They're saying it might mean more propaganda in his direction."

I snorted at that. "If they believe that then they don't know McGonagall."

"That's what I said," he said. "And Ms Zabini convinced them of that much. We managed to get things off at something of a deadlock. Until of course the Ministry got involved."

"They chose Snape didn't they?" I said.

"McGonagall, funnily enough," said Draco. "Snape's a reformed Death Eater. They wouldn't be able to play that right. Especially since Dumbledore's the one who got him off in the first place. McGonagall is the one who's shown a measure of independence even if pattern has shown she's sided with Dumbledore."

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding in. "At least Hogwarts isn't going to be badly affected by all this."

"Yeah. Just don't kill anyone," he said. "I don't think the school can survive beyond that."

I let out a short chuckle at that, though it really wasn't funny.

"When is it going to get announced? Her position?" I asked.

"We've already told her. The morning paper should tell the general public while the woman herself will make a speech either tomorrow or tonight. She's been asked to make it tomorrow, enough time that it might be a Daily Prophet exclusive but that's unlikely to happen."

"Hermione has feelers in the right places," I said giving Draco a knowing look. "I know she's part of the Society."

"You know or you're guessing?" he asked.

"I'm guessing, but I'm smart enough to look and actually see what's going on around me. All the little connecting threads that were just under my nose but I didn't have the right information to string them along."

Draco frowned. "I think you said that wrong. String them along means to make them follow you," he said. "String along them would be moving along them to find their ultimate destination."

"I'll make a mental note of that," I said. "I'll also make a mental note of how pedantic you are with the English language."

I pulled out my watch and looked at the time. "You want to go have an early evening meal? I have some work to do at night. It'd be convenient to eat now?"

"Sure," he said.


	36. Chapter 36

4-04

The entire thing was more showy than I expected. The speech was more showy than I expected. The speech from the Sorting Hat was more than I expected, but for the first time in a very long time I saw emotion in the Headmistress beyond the staunch lady I'd come to know as my Head of House.

She seemed genuinely happy for the honour of being the Headmistress of the school and spoke to making sure that nothing like what had happened in the past week would ever happen again.

"…I am happy to inform you all that the recent vacancies which have opened up of late have also been closed," she said. "There will be a small shift in Professors for each course, with Professor Severus Snape taking on the role of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts."

There were a few claps, murmured words before a scowl from Headmistress McGonagall quieted them all down. Maybe there was a power in being Head of Hogwarts, the wards working with you in ensuring there wasn't any dissent.

"Taking over position of Potions is a Professor who's chosen to come from his retirement, Professor Slughorn."

There was a small applause at the man as he came to his feet and gave a small bow before sitting down. I saw many of the expression that had been confused at his presence settling.

"The Transfigurations position will be filled by Professor Olive Flamel," she said.

A woman, thin and with pale skin, dark hair and the most eye-popping red lipstick. She stood, smiled and gave a small bow before returning to her seat.

"Flamel," I said to Blaine. "You think she's related to Nicolas Flamel."

"That's a pretty rare surname," he said and then shrugged. "How goes everything? I head you were making plays to go into the Quidditch team."

I sighed. "Can nothing I do remain secret in this place?" I muttered under my breath.

"It can if you do what I do," said Theo. "Play _everything_ close to the chest."

"That makes you seem very suspicious," said Blaise.

Theo shrugged. "We're all suspicious. I just live up to it. I'm in by the way," he said to me. "Might be a great experience."

"You're joining his army?" said Blaise.

"I wasn't invited into the Society," he said and shrugged. "I have to do something. I don't have some large plans like the rest of you and I don't want to be bored throughout my stay in Hogwarts."

"Then why did you come here in the first place?" said Tracy. "And I'm a little insulted I haven't been invited to the Army or the Society."

"It's not an army," said Harry, just as Zabini was saying, "That's not what we call ourselves." Tracy steadily ignored the both of us, instead looking at Theo to whom she'd asked the question.

"Pieced together the odd things that were happening, that there might be more of us and thought that you lot would think along the same lines. It would have been stupid of me to miss this excitement."

"So you're just an adrenaline junky, then?" asked Daphne.

"Not just," he said. "I might be up to something. I might not. The mystery is what makes me exciting."

"Or you just might be posturing because you're really not."

"Should it really be a measure of pride that we're scheming?" asked Millicent. "I don't think this is what anyone would term normal behaviour."

"I don't think anyone has any illusions to our normalcy," said Blaise. At that all of us looked around us, at the rest of Slytherin who was shooting glances at us and even the older student who were _subtly_ moving their wands trying to disenchant the privacy spells around us. All of them were paying attention to us, even those that were doing a very good job at showing otherwise.

"It's also in our nature and everything," said Ron. "Being Slytherin and all."

"Here, here," said Theo, taking a goblet and raising it in the air, earning the attention of everyone else beyond the barrier. I couldn't resist and from his grin neither could Ron. With the two of us the others felt more comfortable with following suite and just as quickly we broke into laughter as we saw the longing faces of those around us.

"At some point we'll have to lay low," said Ron. "Stop getting all of this attention."

"That much was blown out of the water the moment Harry got sorted here," said Theo.

"Or just after the whole Quirrell mess," said Blaise.

"Then Hagrid," added Millicent.

"Then of course, Dumbledore," said Daphne. "I think in the short while that we've been here we've managed to rattle the entire world more than everyone else before us."

"Makes me a little anxious towards the future," I said. "What's next, I'm wondering. And will it progressively get worse."

"Most probably it will," said Ron. "Only thing we can do is get ahead of it."

"Moving onto lighter subjects," I said. "Ron, I wonder if you'd do me a favour."

Ron's smile slipped from him and he looked guarded. "Depends on what it is."

"I want you to try-out and succeed in getting the position of Keeper today," I told him.

"Why?"

"Firstly, I know you enjoy Quidditch. Secondly, I want to set precedent. I recently said some things to Professor Snape and I'm feeling he wouldn't take too kindly to me being the person he gets to allow to be the first First Year player in our house. If that's you, then it will be easier for me to slip through."

Ron was quiet for a long moment, mulling the words over before he said, "I want to say no. After the whole deal with my brothers. But maybe I can use this for them. You give me what you took from them and I do try-out."

"That's a pretty uneven trade," I said. "I seem to lose an heirloom."

He shrugged. "You need something from me," he said. "This is the way you can get it."

"Is it the only way, though?" I asked. "Because I'm thinking this over, seeing the various avenues I can take and I think it might be too big to trade. Matter of fact, things are set against you. Snape's probably going to be in a good mood, he's just received something he hasn't thought he'd ever get."

"But I think we both know that Snape isn't the forgiving sort," he said, a certainty to his tone. And he was right, Snape wasn't one who let go of emotion, ever. Even after all those years he'd still loved my mother, hated my father and the others, even Remus who no doubt would have apologised profusely for his childhood errors.

"I'll think of something else," I said. There was still Draco, still that realm of things to work with. I just had to hope that he would be fast enough in catching the Snitch that Snape would be worried.

888

"You want what?" said Marcus, those he'd obviously heard me.

"I want to be Seeker of the Quidditch team," he said, the words said slowly to make sure my irritation didn't bleed through.

"We already have a Seeker," he said.

"I'm better than her," I told him. "Runs through my blood."

"Well, that's the thing. We don't need your blood on our team," he said.

I had to take a breath, keeping the anger that was starting to boil in the pit of my stomach back. "Are we really doing this?" my mouth said, unable to keep it back. "Are you really being that daft? Turning down me? The Boy-Who-Lived?"

He swallowed at that, but I could see it in his eyes, the way he stood that he wasn't about to back down.

He snorted. "That's the thing though, isn't it?" he said. "That whole thing was a fluke. Just like me you don't know what happened that night. You can't replicate it. You're not special at all, Potter, and just because everyone believes it that doesn't make it so."

 _This is manipulation,_ I told myself. _Use what he wants to get what you want. So what does he want?_

I tried to think, get an image of him but I couldn't find anything. I hadn't paid attention to him. But I had to throw various lines out there, see which he bit and reel that one in. Where to start though? Dudley had said I had to be aware of a pattern but I hadn't paid attention to people as a whole enough to manoeuvre like that.

Break it down into smaller pieces. He was Slytherin and though we weren't all the same there were things that all of us reacted to. We played the game, made alliances and earned favours that would serve us well in the future. Was he that smart? Did he play the game like we all did?

"How about this," I said. "I offer you something, anything that is in the realm of possibility that I give you and you give me, not a spot, by a chance to try-out this afternoon. If I do well, only then can you take to Snape to let me in."

"Anything?" he said, a smirk on him.

"Within reason," I told him.

"Okay," he said and the smirk got wider. "There are some Runespoor in the Forbidden Forest and during this time of year they start laying eggs." He pulled out his watch. "Four hours before we have our trials. You bring me three eggs and you can try-out."

"Consider it done," I said with a sigh. It might take me those four hours to fly through the forest and look for those damned things. "I'll see you then."

I left, moving further up into the castle until I found a window. I jumped, shifted and flew through the forest looking for those damned things. It was an hour in that I realised that perhaps I loved Quidditch, but then just as quickly the idea seemed stupid and I resumed my search.

I was starting to think this a futile effort when I heard them, _"There they are, taking our eggs again,"_ one voice said.

" _Do you have to say that every time?"_ said another. _"You'd think you could have gotten used to it by now."_

" _I have,"_ said the first voice. _"We have. But it's always noteworthy isn't it. That perhaps someday this won't be our fate? And we'll miss this?"_

There was a snort. _"Like I keep telling you, he's dead. It's stupid of you to think that we can get out of this with the amount of time we've spent in this place."_

" _It never hurts to dream,"_ said the first voice. 

" _Sometimes I wish I could eat you,"_ said the second voice. _"But we need two heads."_ There was a sigh. I hopped closer, looking down at the small Centaur encampment. Four of them in total with a small basket filled with their eggs on the ground.

I flapped my wings and the four reacted, two grabbing bows and arrows and pointing them in my direction. I instantly took off, it wouldn't do that they expect anything especially when I was going to steal the eggs from them. I doubted Centaurs would just give a wizard their potions supply. I just had to play this right.

After making sure I was far enough away, I descended and shifted back to my human form. I started making conjurations of different sizes, all in the form of spiders. Luckily Hagrid wasn't here to get himself in danger when Aragog eventually took the flak for this, but I had faith in the spider and his ability to protect his brood.

I set the things off and they started running. I shifted into my bird form again and set off, overtaking the spiders and found a perch to wait as they became my distraction. When they arrived it was with a small amount of panic, one of the Centaurs grabbing wooden sticks alight with fire and waving them about.

The things didn't have venom, but they attacked, pincers biting into the Centaurs. They killed a few, but there were more than a few of the things. Choosing how I sat, I shifted back into my human form and summoned five eggs, grabbing and shoving them in my pockets before I shifted and flew off.

Thanking Merlin that I had black feathers.

888

"You actually got them," he said, sounding begrudgingly impressed. The things hadn't been broken, fortunately and I'd found a little pouch that he now held in his hands. Flint was in his uniform, broom at his side with the rest of the team behind him.

"Yeah, so now can I try-out?"

An ugly sort of smile spread along his features before he broke into a guffaw. "Don't tell me you honestly believed me," he said, with amusement in his voice. "I gave you an impossible task, I didn't think you'd be daft enough to actually go out there."

I let out a long sigh. "Should have seen this coming. I'll take the eggs if you please."

"What? No," he said, tightening the bag shut and stowing it in its pocket. "Stuff like this could earn me a pretty penny. Thanks, Potter. Now bugger off."

I slowly shook my head. "Of all the things you could have done, you realise that this is the worst don't you?"

"Because you'll do what?" he said, taking a step closer and towering over me. "Sic Dumbledore at me? No wait, you can't, nor can you make any moves at the Ministry because its distancing you from them. Right now, you're weak in terms of actual power and in political power. Like I said, bugger off."

A quick motion and I pulled out my wand. He was quick because a second after me he had his wand out, his broom having fallen on the floor. He grinned.

"You're going to lose this, Potter," he said. "But, please, try. I might actually enjoy cursing you to sludge."

Looking at him, at everything he'd done and at his friends behind him, I could see the best method I might use to make him to what I wanted. And with the anger I felt, it was something I wanted more than anything to give him: Fear.

I took three steps back and got into a formal duelling stance. He chuckle and took three steps back, going into the same motion.

"Have the first move," he said and I obliged, moving my wand in a circular motions as I said, _"Bombarda!"_

He quickly moved his wand, conjuring a shield without even speaking, his features warping into genuine fear. The spell caught the shield and exploded into with a large bang, when the light faded, Flint was on the ground near his friends with his wand out of his hands.

I flicked my wand and his jumped through the air into my hand.

"None of that," I said, pointed my wand at one of the older kid's direction. Before she could pull her wand out she was hit by a spell and shoved through the air; another made to move but a small flick and he was grabbed and hauled up by an invisible by his leg.

"I can do this until you get the message," I said. "That I'm better than you. Stronger than you. That my way is the only way through this."

"Reducto!" said a boy but I quickly conjured a shield that was all edges, the spell rebounded and slammed into the wall behind him, leaving a large gouge; a flick in a circular motion and his wand was ripped from his grasped, with him pulled a little forward. He caught himself from falling over.

The girl had gotten to her feet, wand in hand and pointed in my direction but she hadn't fired yet.

"I won't be trying-out," I said to Flint. "Instead you'll make me your Seeker or I break this wand. And I know what you're thinking, that you'll buy it with my eggs but," a flick and they shot towards me, "that won't be happening."

"But, you're just a first year," he said. "You can't…"

"I can and I am," I said. I walked closer, doing the same thing to him he'd done to me. Standing over him and looking down. "Don't think about it too much. I'm telling you to do something and you're going to do it. Do we understand each other?"

He gave a nod.

"Good," I said. "You'll forward me our schedule?"

He gave another nod.

"Good," I said and threw him his wand, starting to walk away. They could attack, but I had to hope that I'd instilled enough fear in him and the others that they wouldn't.

"That was stupid," said a voice as I turned a corner. Lily and Davie Runcorn. The boy was shifting.

"I did a lot," I said, "and I was pissed. But it was all thought out."

"I don't think this is a good idea," said Davie.

"It's good," said Lily. "For all his bluster, Potter's not all that bad. We need your help."

"With?" I said.

"Moving through the stuff setup to protect the Philosopher's stone," said Lily.

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked.

Lily gave Davie a look before the boy nodded, letting out a sigh. "My girl here wants to use the stone," she said. "To make the outside match the inside without all those dreary potions they make you take for this sort of things."

It took me a second before I could get it. "Okay," I said.


	37. Chapter 37

4-05

"I'm curious," I said, five minutes through our walk and the silence between all of us was getting awkward. Every time I glanced at Davina she seemed to shift, as though my gaze somehow irritated her. "How will the stone help? I mean, I know Voldemort wanted it to build a body but it's the how of it that eludes me."

She took a moment, unsure of herself before she gave Lily a glance. The girl gave the minutest of nods before Davina said, "You know about the stone, right? The basics of it at least? It's a staple in most of our universes that you were somehow involved with the stone in your first year so it's more likely that it's true for you too."

"Yeah, it is," I said. It was small but I could see the relief on both her and Lily. "Like I said, Voldemort wanted it."

"Right," she said. "Well it's because the stone can do something that's long been though impossible by the most knowledgeable witches and wizards. It can make transfigurations permanent."

"So you'll transfigure your body and then use the body to make the stone to make it permanent?" She gave a nod. "I feel it worth mentioning that sort of transfiguration is the stuff McGonagall warned us about the first day of her class."

"It is," said Davina, her tone short, "and I know that. I've wanted this for a long time. I think it would be remiss of me if I didn't do the necessary research beforehand."

I raised my hands in surrender, continued to walk. "So how will it work after that?" I asked. "Everyone remembers you as Davie. And with how we're being watched it'll be pretty easy for people, especially the Flamels, to think that we had something to do with the stone."

"Again," she said, "something I know and have planned out. I've been planning this out for most of my late life, Mr Potter, what I could have been able to achieve if I'd been more knowledgeable at a younger age. Rest assured that all this has been thought out."

"And I'm guessing I'm not going to be told about this particular plan?"

"I can see where this is headed," said Lily, "and I'm not liking it. Harry, tell me more about this army of yours."

"First off, it's not an army," I said to her. "It's more a collective. I was thinking about the Society and what they must be like, a group of likeminded people sharing and revelling in their superiority and knowledge."

"Wow," Lily muttered. "Makes me really resent the others for not inviting me. I mean I can revel in my own superiority."

"That's my estimation of them," I told her. "I don't think that's what they think of themselves, but…" I shrugged. "Anyway, similar idea with our collective. But instead of the things that they would be working on, we share ideas on combat and combat strategies. That sort of things."

"Learn from each other's awesomeness," she said with a series of short nods.

"In essence," I said. "You thinking about accepting?"

"After this I really have nothing better to do," she said. "Except worrying about the _thing_ we have in the basement."

"Please tell me there was a plan where that's concerned," said Davina. "Because I really don't want to get involved in that."

"Which is why I've been telling you to work with the Society," said Lily and from the long suffering look Davina shot her, I got the image they'd had this discussion before. "With that particular piece of magic it would mean a layer of security. If not indefinitely then at least until we can get strong enough that one of us might be able to hold our own against one of them."

"But that would mean getting embroiled in it all," said Davina. "Right now I at least have a little deniability."

"I'm sorry to say this," I said. "But I don't think that will matter where they're concerned. Did you tell her what happened in the basement?" Lily nodded. "What they did makes me think they mean business."

"Major paranoia fuel," said Lily. "Especially with that damned Society doing Morgana knows what. You know, I had this inkling that you'd be all over them, not bloody attack the upper years."

I let out a sigh at that. Right now, thinking without the flood of anger rushing through me, it all seemed stupid. But since I didn't have a Time Turner, the best thing was to think on what I could do from now.

"There'll be push back," said Davina. "You might get expelled."

"Detention, not expelled," I said. "Even with Dumbledore gone I still have an amount of goodwill even if it's not directed at me. My mum and dad were war heroes after all."

"Why to whore out your parents," Lily muttered.

I didn't respond to that, continuing with my thread. "And I doubt they'll say anything. He might win the battle but he'd lose the war. They would all have lost a little of their status with being taken down by a first year."

"A first year trained by Dumbledore," said Davina.

"But from what Flint said earlier in the day I don't think he knows that. Maybe they don't have any influence in the Wizengamot as most Slytherin families."

"The system needs grunts," Lily commented. "People to do the work, curry the favours while the rich and powerful sit and around and languish in their sense of importance."

"All the while making decisions that affect us all," said Davina. "My family's one of those. Dad's not too good but Mum." She grinned. "You have no idea that stuff she's been doing."

"You're doing it again," said Lily. "Enticing me with the mystery that is your family while telling me absolutely nothing."

"Without any mystery I know you'd get bored," said Davina.

"You're most likely right," said Lily with a shrug. "Got bored with Potter once I found out he wasn't running the Herald."

"I never said I ran the thing in the first place," I said.

"But you let me believe it," she said. "Even got your heart to play in the entire deception. Kudos for that, by the way, I was impressed during my nightly review."

"Nightly review?" I asked.

"I have a mental journal," she said. "I review everything I saw and did during the day, hoping for a shift in perspective and maybe more understanding over certain scenes. How scents fit into the greater image, that sort of thing."

"See," I said, exaggerating the word with hand motions. "This is why I think we need the Collective. Imagine how much better we'd all be if we could do what the others could do. If I'd gotten the idea to do that at the end of each day."

"Sort of defeats the prospect of having special skills, though, doesn't it," said Davina. "Puts us all in an even positioning? Not exactly the thing you want in a fight."

"You're talking like you want to join the Collective," said Lily.

"I don't," she said. "I'm just making an observation."

Lily shrugged. "True enough," she said. "But it also shows us what the others have. I mean, I know that Potter's good with his transfigurations, now I know that if he ever turned bad I just have to watch out for birds slamming into me while I'm distracted."

"And I have to watch for your claws," I said. If she was giving my secrets to the possible tails, then I would be kind enough to return the favour. She must have thought along the same lines because she gave me a pout I couldn't quite read.

We reached the third floor, the door open in front of us.

I pulled out my wand, the others following my lead but I gestured for them to stop. I waved my wand and a flute appeared from thin air. I was a little rusty, but I thought it would be enough to put Fluffy beyond down.

"There'll be a dog," I said. "Be careful but don't attack it. It'll go to sleep at the sound of my tune."

They both nodded: A sweep of the wand and the door opened, closing when we entered. At the disturbance Fluffy was up, growling and lunging towards us before being stopped by a heavy chain. The tune was horrible, but it got to work, putting Fluffy to sleep.

The other challenges were much easier, the hardest of which was the chess but Davina outplayed the board without much trouble. We traversed through the room, the only trouble coming when we had to pass through Snape's fire.

"We won't all be able to pass through," said Davina after she'd completed the potion.

"You and Harry should go," said Lily. "He knows what's in there."

"It won't take more than a few hours," said Davina. Lily gave a short and the two hugged before Davina took a gulp of the potion. I did the same with my own potion and walked through the fire. We scaled down a flight of stairs before walking into a large room with a mirror in the centre.

"What now?" asked Davina.

"I stand in front of the mirror," I said and did just that. The me in the picture reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone before putting it in my pocket. I reached in my physical pocket and pulled out the stone.

"That was ridiculously easy," she said.

"Because I didn't want the stone," said Harry. "Not really. Dumbledore loves complex magic." I sighed and gave her the stone. "Do you need privacy or something?"

"Yes," she said. "But I need you here. I'll need you to look over the new form, the face at least and tell me if you sense something wrong with the greater picture. Even if you can't tell me why, just tell me."

I gave her a nod and she started, sitting on the floor and closed her eyes. Five minutes and nothing happened, ten and then I noticed that her hair was starting to grow in length, her face getting smoother and eyebrows starting to get thinner.

The effect became more pronounced as time went on, moving onto more of her body and I guessed the changes stretched further than I could see. I pulled out my watch and thirty minutes had passed with the form of a boy having slipped away.

"You're too symmetrical," I said. She gave a small nod and her nose moved a little, going slightly off centre. It didn't detract too much from her but it gave her a more human feel.

She let out a breath and opened her eyes. "I'll need a little privacy for the next part," she said. She pulled out her wand and gave it a twirl; a curtain appeared in the air, moved around her and hid her from my sight.

She spent another twenty minutes in there before a shaft of golden light escaped and hit the ceiling. I expected the light to fade but it didn't, instead I spent another hour just standing there before the curtain fell and Davina stood beyond.

"Thanks for this, Harry," she said with a bright smile.

"Sure," I said, confusion hitting me. "But I'll take the stone now. I don't know what your spell did, but thanks. I don't think Dumbledore would have allowed this to happen."

"Um…sure?" she said, confusion appearing on her expression.

I took the stone, smiling a little. I'd owe her and Lily a lot for this, helping me get the stone and perhaps preserving Dumbledore's life. It was a little confusing that I'd asked her and Lily to come along instead of Dudley, but they would have wanted this as much I would and the mirror wouldn't have given it to them or me.

"Really, thanks for this," I said, feeling a sadness I hadn't even realised was there going away.

"No, thank you, Harry," she said and we left.

There was something entirely strong about all this, but I didn't want to expand the mental effort to figure it out.


	38. Chapter 38

4-06

"I get that you were trying to help, Harry," said Remus from his slot on the expended mirror, to his left was Sirius and below Moody and to his right left and empty patch. Harry let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair as his mind tried running across everything that had happened in the past few hours.

"But something like this…" Remus sighed.

"It just doesn't make sense," Dudley said to my side, reflect a thought running to my mind. "You didn't tell me about this."

"Yeah," I said. "I mean, there's a reason in my head why I didn't bring you along but the fact that I didn't tell you is strange. Not to mention the fact that I brought two people I don't entirely trust along too."

"You're thinking someone messed with your mind?" said Sirius.

I shook my head. "My Occlumency is crude," I told them. "Because of…reasons. But I've worked it so that it gets stronger with the passage of time. Every day I check of the layers, looking for the damage of an attack and after doing that because of all of this I haven't found anything."

"Could be too subtle for you to note," said Moody. "Tell us again what happened, Potter."

I took a breath and nodded, recounting my memories of the event. I'd known from Dumbledore's hand that he would die within a year, something I didn't like and had been thinking about a while on how to counter it. It was made easier when I learned that how the stone worked was making transfigurations permanent.

"And who told you that?" asked Moody. "You make it sound like it's recent information."

"It is," I said. I took a breath, closed my eyes and I found the memories. "It was today that I found out and it was from Divina."

"But why would Divina tell you that?" asked Dudley. "It's not exactly a conversation that would evolve naturally except if it was shaped that way."

"Perhaps this Divina was the one who shaped the conversation?" said Remus.

"But to what end?" I asked. "She's been adamant that she doesn't want to get involved in everything when we last met."

"That's what I'm having trouble figuring out," said Dudley.

"Go on with your recount," said Moody. "Maybe it will all become clearer as things move on."

I gave a nod and continued. Telling them that I didn't have Dudley or Hermione go with me because I knew they would want the stone which would mean us not getting it because of the magic in mirror. Divina and Lily were good choices because…

"I've reached a blank, there," I said. "I have no idea why I would think they were such a good choice. Lily, sure, because she a good fighter but if with the memories being foggy I wouldn't neccesarily think I would need to fight down there. There are challenges and given that I have a cheat sheet I would be able to move through the without trouble."

"I still think someone must have done something to your mind," said Remus. "You'll have to talk to Snape, Harry. He's the foremost expert of Legillimency currently in Hogwarts. If someone tried and succeeded in breeching your mind he'll be able to detect them."

"Snape probably hates me right now," I muttered.

"Snape most probably hates everyone in the world," Sirius quickly returned, a smirk on him.

"But that doesn't mean he can't be professional," Remus said. "If you have someone else in Hogwarts to worry about, then it's better we know now so we can handle it rather than wait for them to go on the offensive."

I gave a nod. "What about the stone?"

"Give it to Nicholas before there's hubbub over the thing," said Moody. "He knowns enough about everything that you can tell him you're investigating why you took it in the first place."

"What about using it to heal Dumbledore, though?" asked Dudley.

"We'll talk to him about it," said Remus. "He's more lucid than before. Hopefully it's enough that he'll give this some thought."

"Now that that's done," said Dudley. "What are we doing about what the Ministry is trying with Harry? Sullying his good name and all that?"

"Nothing's going to come of it," said Moody. "It's probably best you know this now before you hear if from the news, but someone tried to break into Gringotts. They were possessed from what the Goblins are saying. We were lucky the Thief's Downfall broke the connection and alerted the Goblins of what was going on."

"Voldemort," I said.

"That's what we thought," said Moody. "He possessed Quirrell. He's putting out the same trick again, but this time he's going into Gringotts."

"He's searching for the Horcruxes," I said. There were nods from the other and I felt my stomach twisting and turning. "Please tell me we have a way of getting that damned thing before too long?"

"I'm working on it," said Sirius. "I'll be leaving tomorrow. Heading for the Goblin Nation. Hopefully I can buy some people there that might better facilitate the break in. It'll be easier for them than us."

"But it'll be time consuming," I said. "The Goblins have a sense of patriotism. Stealing from one of their own for a wizard undermines everything they believe in. Everything they are."

"Which is a layer of protection for us," said Remus. "The Head of Gringotts will think along the same lines in regard to disseminating that information."

"Heads will roll, though," said Moody. "If this ever gets to us or Albus then there's the chance that we might have a war on our hands."

"The chance of one war, while trying to avoid another," said Dudley. "I don't like all of this."

"At this point we don't have much choice other than to break in ourselves or break my dear cousin out of Azkaban," said Sirius. "And no, Harry, that's not saying your idea is any less insane than when we first heard it."

"All of this would have been over by now with my idea," I said. "And we would have raised question about that. Whether the Dementors are involved or not, and whether it's a good idea to let them continue to guard the place in the present climate."

"Smart," said Moody. "But we have to take everything in context. Another disruption above everything else is sure to send widespread panic."

"Probably true," I said. "I'll get to reversing the damage I've done, then."

"Stay safe, Harry," said Sirius before the image blinked off.

"Are you coming with?" I asked and Dudley nodded. "You've been working pretty quickly," I said. "People keep talking about my army for some reason."

"That was sort of the thing I put up front," said Dudley a little sheepishly. "Common thread amongst everything is that you're important to most people. Thought I'd use that and it worked. Most of the people agreed with that being the selling point."

"But they keep saying it's an army," I said.

"My wording might have been off," said Dudley. "Just… I said we would be more combat orientated than the Society. But still, the main idea was the sharing of ideas."

"It doesn't matter at any rate, but the Society members are antsy. At least from what Blaise said, but we can't bet on that, it might as well be misinformation."

"Yeah," Dudley said as we turned a corner. "Are we actually going into the Slytherin Common Room? Because I really want to visit that place."

"No, we're heading further into the dungeons. Snape skulks there."

"You're really not looking for this, are you?"

"Not at all. If I know Snape well, he'll make me regret this," I said and feeling a bit of anger slipping through. I took a breath and pushed forward, this was for the better because more than the hostility I had for Snape, there was also the curiosity that indeed my mind might have been breached without my knowing.

I knocked when we stood in front of the door and in a sultry tone Snape said, "Enter."

Another breath and then I pushed the door open, walking in. Snape was just turning my way when a mirror directly opposite me cracked with a loud sound, the cracks only dominating the reflection of me with parts scattered around Dudley.

"Stop," said Snape, a mild panic in his voice. "Both of you."

"Aren't you supposed to at least hear us out before you refuse us?" I asked, resentment in my voice.

"Harry," said Dudley, elbowing me to shut. "Professor," he said, taking a step in the office. Snape was immediately on his feet, wand out and pointed in our direction. As if I expected this my wand was already out while Dudley was jumping back, pulling his sword from his breast pocket.

The shield was up before Snape could even fire a curse. Not that he would have, from the way he moved. It had been too slow, too predictable and given off enough time that we reacted.

"I don't know the function," said Snape, "but the both of you are infected by a curse."

 _What?_

Snape turned, looking at the mirror, cracks had spread out further and as he walked within the frame, a few moved over his reflection. "And it seems even speaking to the both of you means the curse is passing on to me. Lock yourselves away while I setup a means of protection. Three doors down, bar the doors until you get my Patronus."

Dudley and I nodded, quickly moving away before we could do more damage.

"It's them isn't it?" said Dudley. "Either Lily or Divina."

"My guess on the matter," I said. "But what does the curse do? And if it happens with me being around someone, does that mean it infected Sirius, Remus and Moody?"

"Better to tell them that it might have and not to talk or be around anyone else," said Dudley.

I nodded, summoning three Patronii and sending them off with the message.

The room was on the larger side but it was bare, with nothing but a window that showed an image of the Forbidden Forest beyond. Sometimes the geometry of Hogwarts could be the strangest thing, but how a place with so much magic concentrated in it couldn't be strange would have been stranger still.

When we entered the doors closed with a loud thud, golden lines stretching out through the room. The thought to conjure something to seat on occurred to me but it felt more natural to pace.

"What do you know about curses?" Dudley asked me, he stood still though I could see the anxiety in his features.

"Not enough unfortunately," I said. "They're like Charms but they're malignant. They're easier to do but harder to break and I'm fortunately I'm not the sort of person that breaks them. An expert I know personally is Bill Weasley but Merlin knows where his is right now."

"Snape? Does he know anything about them?" he asked.

I shrugged. "There's a lot to Snape that I don't know," I said. "But he has a fascination with the Dark Arts. That means he might know a way to counter. That mirror isn't something I've ever seen."

"Me neither," said Dudley. "Try to think back. When could they have cursed? Especially without you knowing since you say it's unlikely that they broke through your mind."

"I don't know."

"Are you sure that it's unlikely that they entered your mind?" Dudley asked. "They could have built the mental barriers back up after decimating them."

"That would have at least taken half the day," I said.

"I haven't seen you for much of the day," said Dudley.

I reach into my pockets and pulled out a small bag. I reached in and pulled out a small egg. "Finite Incantatem," I said and tapped the egg. Nothing happened. It was real.

"No, what I did was real, unless they're really pedantic about the small details at which point I'd won't have a place in the Quidditch team."

"I don't see how those things connect," said Dudley.

"Rest assured they do," I told him. The lights turned on, lines drawing themselves across the room before the door opened. Snape stood beyond.

"It seems that the curse on the both of you is fast acting," the man said, strutting into the room. "In the time I've been gone it has fully consumed me."

"Do you know what it does?" asked Dudley.

"Mental magic," the man said. "I tried to stop it but it was beyond my grasp. My memories have been changed. Who did this to you, Potter? Who could have this sort of power?"

"Either Divina or Lily, I think it might be the former," I said.

"I'll enquire about this," said Snape. "I suggest you stay here, keep the amount of infected people to a minimum. The man left, his cloak billowing at the exit."

"It scares me the amount of power that would have to go into a spell that would get past even Snape's mental barriers," said Dudley.

"Tell me about it," I muttered under my breath.

888

Thirty minutes and the lines drew themselves across the room. Snape along with Lily and Divina entered, the girl looked regretful with her expression turning into guilt when she looked in my direction.

"I'm sorry about all this," she said. "I thought the magic of the spell would be cleaner than this. Alleviate your suspicions but I guess it didn't work out too well."

"What were you trying to do?" I asked, feel a lot less anger that I thought I'd feel with being cursed.

"Make my transition seamless," she said. She sighed and said, "I Divina Runcorn, once went by the name Davie Runcorn."

As soon as the sentence was complete everything made sense. Memories became clearer with a thread of thoughts I'd had coming back to the fore.

"That's some magical feat," I said. "Fidelius Charm?"

"A variant," she said. "Something like that would take a lot out of me and violent means would mean a lot more people detecting it. This way people's memories reshuffle. I've made little impact through the past week and the month before so there won't be that many people as affected as Harry and Lily were."

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" said Dudley. "It could have helped with our problem."

"This bores me," said Snape. "Listening to your overinflate drivel. Ms Runcorn, we'll have to speak at some point. It would be…a pleasure to hear your theories on crafting a spell of this magnitude."

"Of course, Professor," the girl said.

Again the man left with a dramatic flair.

Divina sighed. "I didn't get involved before because it would have messed up with my spell," she said. "It was better not to get involved."

"It's okay," said Lily. "Everyone in here is pretty much here for themselves. You were doing what's good for you."

Divina gave Lily a small smile.

"But you can act now, right? Make sure that _they_ are off our radar if only a little," said Dudley.

"They're likely to have countermeasures in place," said Divina. She sighed again. "But yeah, I could. As thank you."

"Do that," said Harry. "But I want to be part secret keeper."

"That seems unfair to everyone else," she said. "And it seems like I'm siding with you. I don't want to fight, I still mean that, but I do want to help us. Knowing Hogwarts it's likely that this conversation will be known by the others in a matter of hours. I'd like to be relatively safe when that happens. Even out the playing field."

"We'll be safer at least," said Dudley. "Do it."


	39. Chapter 39

4-07

"You just tied our hands," Dudley said as we traversed the halls. Lily and Divina had left, headed for the Chamber while Dudley and I were moving towards the upper floors towards Flamel's room. "This will make speaking with the others harder."

"Snape will have told them," I said. "About everything. About Divina's spell and then there's Moody and Dumbledore. They'll have counters to this. I'm sure of it."

"You have too much faith in them," said Dudley. "But I'll admit, Moody would surely have a way of getting past this. Something the others can't say for certain. You actually thought this through."

"Not really," I said. "But I have a way of thinking on my feet. Seeing the larger picture in the heat of the moment and making all make sense. Or I'm just very good at seeing all the good an action afterwards."

"In essence, dumb luck," said Dudley with a large grin. I elbowed him and he gave an exaggerated 'ooph.' "This will earn you enemies. You'll be messing up a lot of their plans."

"I can plead innocent," I said, with a shrug. "We were working towards this route in the first place. And anyway the only people we'll have to worry about is the Society and they don't exactly play nice, do they?"

"We don't have allies, Harry," he said. "Or at least true, allies." He took a breath. "I just thought of something. It's not that _we_ don't have allies, but more on you. I've been working the scene and even if the relationships I've garnered aren't _real_ they're still beneficial. You on the other hand." Dudley shook his head. "The only people you have are me and Hermione, and even her we can't be too sure."

"You're right," I said. "I'm not good at the whole making friends or allies thing. But I'm playing this game as best I can. Just like you. Can we just trust the other in the moves they make?"

"Sure, Harry," he said, a sigh behind his tone. "So what now?"

"We deal with Flamel and then take things from there," I said. "We're still working towards the Collective. Can we sort that out? Try and not get embroiled in all of this?"

"We already are," said Dudley. "But I sort of get it. Right now, the best thing for me to do is work on the Society. Get as much info as I can. Hopefully, with how contained everything is, the right people saying something might give us more to our methods."

I nodded. "I could do this alone if you want," I said. "It's been a few hours already and you must have stuff you want to do."

"Wouldn't mind checking out Ravenclaw for any potentials," he said. "Good luck and don't get attacked."

"You too," I said. We parted and I went farther up, knocking on the door to Nicholas' office. A few minutes and the door opened, revealing Nicholas beyond. Her expression turned to surprise before she easily slipped into a smile.

"Mr Potter," she said. "What do I owe the pleasure to this late visit? Getting a head start on your transfigurations lessons?"

"No," I said. "Mr Flamel. I apologise for both the intrusion and what I'm about to give to you but the past few hours having been trying."

"This seems quite serious," the woman said, her tone of questioning. "Are you sure you came to the right place? I think a conversation of this magnitude would be better with the more senior staff."

I reached into my pockets and pulled out the stone. She stopped at that, her features straightening and a fierce expression taking its place.

"My stone," the woman said.

"Yes," I said with a sigh. "I seem to have stolen it."

Slowly she reached out and took the stone, shoving it into the folds of her robes. "Might I ask why you would steal it, Mr Potter, if you were just going to give it to me?"

"Because I didn't entirely mean to," I said. "There was massive spellwork involved and I was helping a friend deal with an issue."

"But now that the task's done you're giving it back," the woman said. "I thank you, Mr Potter. But I'm finding I don't like the current scheme of things if it took one eleven year old boy to break through Dumbledore's protections."

"All credit to the Headmaster, he and I think along the same lines," I lied. "Part and parcel of being his student. Again, I wanted to apologise for that and I wanted to give you the stone before you had any cause for concern."

"Thank you, Mr Potter," she said. "I'll make sure to hide this once more. Perhaps under more stringent means." The woman moved to closed the door before I stooped her. "Something more, Mr Potter?"

"I wonder if we could talk about something," I said. "It would be better if it were in private."

The woman nodded and took a step back, gesturing that I come in. The moment the door closed I felt a shift in the air, a buzz that sent tingles over my skin, making my hairs stand on end.

"Have a seat, Mr Potter," said Nicholas. "Would you like something to drink? Butterbeer? Some tea?"

"Butterbeer, please," I said, taking a seat in front of his desk. He grabbed a bottle from under his desk and slid it over to me. I hadn't really thought about the thing, but my constant thinking about Dumbledore the last few hours made me think in the direction. I wanted to help him. I didn't want him to die in this reality like he'd died in my timeline.

"Voldemort wanted your stone," I started.

She looked a little surprised. "Dumbledore told you about that too?" she said. "It seems you're more involved in everything than I thought."

"I am," I said, letting out a snort. "More than you know. Do you have any ideas how he could still be alive? He doesn't have your stone and therefore doesn't have effective immortality, what other methods could there be?"

"I'm assuming you're asking because you know?" said Nicholas. I gave him a nod. "Dark magic, that," he said. "And I feel a little unease at the thought that you're enquiring about this."

"No, I just have an idea where this is concerned," I said. "Dumbledore is dying because one of Voldemort's Horcruxes was cursed. The curse doesn't have a cure which means Dumbledore is pretty much living off borrowed time."

"You want to use the stone," said Nicholas. "Build Dumbledore a new body and transplant his soul?"

"I was thinking along those line, yes," I said. "Would it even be possible?"

"Magic that tempers with the soul is very dark stuff, Harry. After all, we'd have to dislodge the soul from Dumbledore's body in the first place. Something that would take the darkest act on Dumbledore's part: Killing."

"Not something Dumbledore would even intentionally do," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "Can't we use the stone to undo the curse? Transfigure him or something?"

"No, I don't think we can," said Nicholas. "If the curse were created by any other person I would think that amputation might be the answer, after which we could transfigure the arm and give it permanence with the stone. But I doubt that Voldemort would not have thought of such an obvious loophole to his curse."

A sigh left me. "I honestly don't know why I'd think that I might come up with something Dumbledore hasn't come up with."

"It's never bad to try at finding an answer, Mr Potter," he said. "But now that you've given me a mind to the matter, rest assured I'll be thinking on it too."

I smiled a little. "Thanks, Mr Flamel," I said. "And I apologise again for stealing your stone."

"All that matter is that you brought it back." Nicholas stood. "I'll wish you a goodnight, Mr Potter. Or evening as the matter might be."

"Good evening," I said, taking my stand before leaving.

It was hard not feeling a little down. The whole conception of the idea had been spur of the moment, because of a curse, but I'd thought it had a credible chance of working. Was there another way we could achieve this? Some magic that would be able to transfer the soul to another body in the way a Horcrux was created but without the whole killing aspect behind it?

The answer wasn't likely one I'd find very easily and it was only hubris on my part that thought I would. Maybe everything would be clearer in the morning.

888

"We're meeting this evening," said Dudley between classes. "Room of Requirements."

I gave a nod as I moved forward, focusing on nothing now as I had for much of the day. It helped a little in trying to not to get involved in anything else, focusing only on the things that really needed my focus.

Today had been our first lesson with Professor Flamel and it was strange being taught by the woman, she had a liveliness to her that was against something I'd grown up with. Where McGonagall had treated transfigurations as the more dangerous magic, Professor Flamel called it a class where a person with imagination succeeded more than a studious sort.

"That doesn't mean, of course," the woman said. "That you should forget everything the Headmistress had already taught you, but you should not worry about making mistakes because I have seen most blunders where transfiguration is concerned and rest assured, I can reverse it. Now, let's see how much this class has already been taught."

I think the class would have been more exciting had I not know most of the stuff being taught to me. But I, much like everyone else, bore through it with the wonder and perseverance an eleven year old would show.

The rest of the day crawled through without much going on. I went down to the Chamber to find that Troll was still there, adorned in heavy chains with heavy furniture around him. I looked back, making sure that no one had appeared behind me and I let out a breath in relief, I didn't think I could handle the people who followed me with only myself and Terry.

"Potter," the boy said. He was working on something, three cubes floating in front of him within a large circle. Even as he looked at Harry his wand was moving in a mesmerising display.

"Terry," I said. "What are you up to?"

"If you shred information as easily as you asked for it," the boy said, "you'd be so much easier to deal with."

I snorted at that. "Are you really having a go at me at keeping something when the lot of you bloody turned an Unspeakable without telling any of us? At least what I did was to help us while the rest of you have been doing what…? Opening us up to more harm?" I said, gesturing towards the still bound Unspeakable.

"You have no idea what we're trying to do," Terry muttered, his attention returning to his work.

"Of course not because you're not telling anyone," I said. "Have you at least been feeding him beyond what amounts torturing him?"

"That's not my duty," said Terry.

"Which doesn't make me feel any better truth be admitted," I said. I shook my head, pushing back the thoughts to this particular conundrum. It would be better in the long run if I didn't keep this at the back of my mind.

I got started with a light bit of homework after that before breaking for dinner. Quickly in and out and then I was back in the Slytherin Common Room, jotting down notes in my journal. I stayed until the crowds started to thin out, people going into their dorms.

I stood, about to exit when the doors to the Common Room opened, Snape striding in with one of my soon-to-be teammates at his sides. I could already guess at what had happened, that he was the one taking the bump in status so they could at least manage to impede my tries at Quidditch.

"Mr Potter," said Snape. "I've come across some news in the last few hours. That you attacked Mr Cornwall here because he wouldn't speak for you to get a spot on the Quidditch team."

I felt that anger again, deep and pushing away all thought. I could feel it as my expression started slipping into a scowl but I held it back, pushing the anger it a single point. I had to play this smart because Snape would like to see nothing more than my suffering, even if we were on the same side.

"I didn't attack him," I said. "More like I challenged Flint to a duel and Cornwall and his friends thought they'd gang up on me."

"Need I remind you that duelling with in the halls is against the rules?" Snape asked. "Even if what you were saying is true."

"Participating in an illegal duel has less scholarly repercussions that bullying," I said. "I don't like bullies, Professor, and the implication that I am one doesn't sit well with me."

"You're not lying at least," Snape said. "Which makes me more curious about this entire thing." Snape turned and looked down at Cornwall. "How about we remember that I do not like being trifled with and get this matter concluded. Is what Mr Potter saying true?" he asked, looking directly at Cornwall.

The boy shifted, looking between me and Snape before he gave a short nod. "It's true," he said. "He did the stance and everything. But what I said was true too. The entire things started because he wanted to join the team."

"And is Mr Potter any good?" Snape asked.

Cornwall shrugged. "He didn't even try-out. He threatened us though. Threatened Flint to give him the position."

"I think the fair thing to do would be detention for all those involved," said Snape. "And were all of you not in my house I would deduct a healthy amount of points for all involved. Let this not happened again." Snape turned and walked away.

"What about me as the Seeker, Professor?" I asked, unable to help myself.

"It would be remiss of me to condone that sort of behaviour," Snape said.

"But I stand a chance at beating Draco," I said. "Beating the Headmistress." He stopped at that and couldn't stop the grin that spread out on my features. "The only reason Gryffindor hasn't won is because they didn't have a good enough seeker. But now they do. It's smarter that I be on the team too."

Snape hadn't moved.

"You can't tell me you're considering this, Professor," said Cornwall.

"The team already has a seeker," said Snape. "But it is a possibility that the Slytherin team has become stagnant. You'll have your day tomorrow, Mr Potter, impress me and you might be on the team."

"Thank you, Professor," I said, watching as the man left. With him gone my happiness slipped and a glare was directed Cornwall. He visibly flinched. "Rest assured the entire school will hear about this by morning."

"You'd be the bully in the situation," he said.

"No. I'd be the first year who was attacked and triumphed," I said. "You'd better believe the Gryffindors won't let you forget about this."

Cornwall let out a resigned breath. "What do you want?" he said.

"I don't know yet," I said. "But rest assured I do want something. You can go now."

When he left I moved, pulling out the map and heading towards the seventh floor. It was time to meet the others, see how this thing was going to work.


	40. Chapter 40

4-08

The Room of Requirements had spread out into a very large room, large still than the Great Hall. It was divided into sections, cupboards filled with books in one end, a long strip meant for duelling and one corner that was filled with all sorts of weapons. Dudley had really gone all out in thinking about the specifications of a room he wanted.

There were thirteen of us in total, all sitting on similar chairs as we'd sat on when we'd held the meeting and in a circular shape. Dudley was to my left and then Justin, Michael, Stephen, Lily, Lavender, Megan, Theo, Eloise, Sally, Dean and Tracy.

"First and most important question," Theo started. "What do we call ourselves?"

Eloise let out an exaggerated breath and shook her head. "I can bet you that the Society didn't have to deal with this one their first day in," she muttered under her breath, but still loud enough that we could all hear.

"The Society didn't name itself to be honest," said Lavender. "It was Harry who dubbed them and then the rumour mill solidified it."

"And by the rumour mill we mean who, exactly?" Stephen cut in. "Because I'm a little worried about the information that's been able to get out there. Something like this is the first step in someone who's trying to build a rep for themselves."

"An information broker?" said Megan.

Stephen nodded, opening his mouth to speak before Dean cleared his throat. That small sound earned everyone's attention.

"Let's stop this before it steamrolls," he said. He looked at me. "Why are we here? Why did you two put this together?"

"To share ideas," I said.

"So like the Society but for those of us without influence?" said Justin. "Bad note to start on," he muttered.

"No," I said. "Not that. Intellect isn't a single path. We can see that through the various specialisations that exists within the geniuses of the world. We are a different grade of intellect, more combat orientated than that of the Society. That knowledge could be shared."

"I'm a little weary of this," said Lavender. "Ideas grow stronger with the more people that have them. Different angles tackling them, but this will only make the individual weaker. If I teach you my tricks, then you know how I fight, you can counter me."

"But you also have more tricks," said Dean. "You get more to play with, change into your particular style."

I nodded at that, smiling a little.

"It's still dangerous, though," said Michael.

"Everything is dangerous," I said. "We can't let fear rule us."

"Easy to say when you have Voldemort's backing," said Michael, and he said that as though he were talking about the weather. The temperature dropped, everyone's features either warping into shock or becoming expressionless.

"For those of us that don't know what this means," said Fray. "Do you mind elaborating?"

"Harry's a Horcrux," said Michael. "He has a piece of Voldemort inside of him and so long as he's a live, _he_ can't die."

"Is that true?" asked Dean, his tone counter to what the expression I could see in his eyes. It appeared as though something suddenly made sense and behind that I saw an idea starting to set. I'm not sure why, but that scared a part of me.

"Yes," I said and before chatter could break out I said, "I'm a little surprised at this, Michael. Why now of all times?"

"Because now you're in a position of power," he said. "Or at least it looks like. I'm something of a historian and I know how Tom Riddle began working when he was still in Hogwarts. Albeit with more discretion, this is what he did. Collected, for lack of a better word, disciples. I respect these people enough to have them watch out for that."

"This changes things," said Fray, coming to a stand. Lavender followed that stand with her. "You're a Horcrux, Mr Potter, and I'm afraid that the corruption around you will sway me if I give you time to explain."

Lavender nodded and the two walked towards the doors. I waited on baited breath, watching the others. Now only eleven of us remained, Michael still amongst them.

"Is anyone else going to leave?" I asked.

"This is some exciting shit," said Theo, "and I would be disappointing myself if I just left before I knew the juicy bits before our broker disseminates it."

"I want an explanation," said Michael. "Because all things aside, this is a good idea. We need to counter the Society. Make sure what happened in the Chamber doesn't happened again."

I nodded at that. "I'll ease your worries," I said. "Because though I have a portion of Voldemort inside of me, it can't gain influence."

"Why?" asked Tracy.

"Because of the same magic that killed Voldemort when I was a kid. The specifics are unimportant, but rest assured some very old magic is keeping me protected from Voldemort's taint."

"What about us?" asked Dudley. I felt something at his words, a whole range of feelings that hit me harder than I expected. I did very well not letting those feelings appear on my face. "Can't we get tainted?"

"Sufficient Occlumency barriers and you shouldn't," I said and shrugged. "But this is Voldemort we're talking about. Merlin knows what he can do."

"How can we be sure, though, that you aren't Voldemort?" asked Megan.

"I really don't know how to answer this," I said. "And I don't know that I should have a try at doing so. Voldemort was a master manipulator when he was younger, he grew out of it and moved on to fear, but he still is a master manipulator. Anything I say has the chance of only increasing your paranoia."

"Had you not made that whole spiel, I might have believed you," said Michael. "But as you said, a portion of you is a master manipulator." Michael stood, looking at everyone. "This is a dangerous game to be playing, especially with the most dangerous man in our histories. If I were all of you, I'd leave," he said before he left.

Down to ten.

"How does you killing Quirrell factor into this?" asked Justin.

"Or the entire thing with Su for that matter," said Sally. "Why would you two be fighting if you're the same person?"

"There can only be one," said Justin and a few of us grinned.

"Harry," said Lily, speaking for the first time. "You helped me on something big and I'm grateful for that, but…" She sighed. "I've fought Voldemort before. I've seen the look in his eyes, the lilt of his voice when he was speaking down to someone. You sounded like that _before."_

A sigh left me along with it was doubt.

"Before?" said Dudley.

"I got into a bit of a scuffle with some of my soon-to-be teammates," I said. "I used fear as a manipulative device."

Stephen stood and left.

Nine.

"Not as dramatic as Stephen," said Theo. "But everything's stacking against you. I mean, I don't care,' he said. "That you're Voldemort or not. But I don't want there to be the chance that you'll be as tyrannical as him." I opened my mouth to say something before he raised a hand. "You saying otherwise will not help you in this."

"Then what can I say? What can I do?" I asked.

"Nothing," said Dudley. "It would be better if you left while we talked. If you really want this to go through, this idea of yours, then maybe it's best for you not to be in it."

I let out a breath and stood, leaving. This hadn't turned out the way I thought it would, it had turned out worse that I thought it would be, but at this point there was nothing I could do with it. All of it was worrying, but what was more worrying was the amount of anger I felt.

I wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but Lily was right. There was something more Voldemort in me than I felt comfortable with.


	41. Chapter 41

4-09

I slept on it. The next day I woke up and went through much of the school day without thinking on the matter, and I tried my best to push back the pronounced feeling of betrayal when looking at everyone and anger when I was looking at Michael. There was a problem and I had to take care of it.

Even as the day started to end I didn't think about it. Instead I focused on the farce that was my try-outs and watched with an ugly grin as Snape accepted me into the Quidditch team. When all of that ended I walked into the Room of Requirements and went down a long stairwell that took me outside Hogwarts' wards and turned on the spot, appearing outside Grimmauld Place.

A step and three people I didn't know appeared, wands pointed at me. I could have taken them out, I could feel the itch that made me want to grab at my wand and retaliate but I pushed it back.

"I'm Harry Potter," I said to the three. "I want to speak to Dumbledore."

The three shared a look before one turned on the spot, disappearing. We waited a moment, wands still pointed at me before the door opened and Remus appeared looking harried.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" he said, gesturing wildly for the two to lower their wands.

"I want to speak to Dumbledore," I said. "I don't care what he's going through, I need to know something and he's the only one that can help me."

Remus looked a little bemused by it all, but he gave a nod and told me to follow him. I did, watching as the two witches or wizards took steps back and disappeared. Unspeakables maybe? Because they were the only people I'd seen able to do that trick.

I disregarded and entered the house. It was cleaner than I was used to, looking more lived in with portions of the wall newer, where there had been portraits no doubt. We scaled down a flight of stairs and Remus showed me to a drawing room.

"Give me a moment, Harry, and I'll get Dumbledore."

I nodded and took a seat. Waited.

The door opened and in walked Dumbledore. His eyes sparkled he entered, though it was dimmer than I was used to.

"Harry," he said, a small smile working its way to his features.

"Hello, Headmaster," I said, coming to a stand.

He grinned a little further at that. "Not anymore, Harry. That title belongs to McGonagall now."

"Yes. It does," I said. He closed the door, taking a seat and looking expectantly at me. "Young Remus tells me you wanted to speak to me on a subject, on your intensity compelled him to make the request, even with my," he sighed, "state of being the last week."

I swallowed at that, feeling a pit of unease settle in my stomach.

"My problems, Harry," he said. "My mistakes and my hubris. You don't have to feel any guilt. Now, what was it that you wanted to ask?"

"I need you to explain to me the magic protection that my mother put on me when she died," I said, not thinking about it, because if I did it was less likely that I'd do it.

"Why the sudden interest?" Dumbledore asked.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Because I'm worried that the magic is starting to fade," I said, "and that Voldemort has a measure of influence."

Dread spread across Dumbledore's features and he sat straighter. "That's worrying," he said. "Very worrying indeed. Especially that you would learn about the nature of Horcruxes without anyone to tell you."

I sighed again, bit by my own machinations. "Please tell me you have redundancies where your memories are concerned, Headmaster, because there's a major spell in the works and I need you at a hundred percent right now."

Dumbledore looked at me for a long moment before he nodded. He reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out small bag; he reached inside and pulled out a small box. He threw the thing and it unfolded in the air, taking on the size of a door and width of a coffin.

Dumbledore stood. "If you'd follow me, Harry," he said. I followed as he tapped the front of the box with his wand, making the front disappear, revealing a darkness beyond. I walked inside, feeling a small burning sensation as I stepped into a large room filled with all of Dumbledore's contraptions.

He'd prepared before everything had happened. Screwed time over, made it so he wouldn't lose his possessions while living on the run.

Dumbledore walked until he was at the centre of the room, standing in front of a short dais, on top of which was the pensieve. He went further into the room, to a cabinet filled with small vials and reached for one, pulling it out. He walked back towards me and spilled the liquid in the pensieve.

"I'll be gone for a few moments, Harry," he said. "If you'll excuse me."

He pushed his face into the bowl and then disappeared.

888

"The moment I step out of this room my memories will be changed," said Dumbledore. "A spell of this level is extraordinary. Do you mind my asking who did it?"

"Davina Runcorn," I said.

"Davie?" said Dumbledore under his breath. I nodded.

"She used the stone to change her body," I explained. "She wanted to smooth over the details so she made the spell. She said it was a variant of the Fidelius Charm. I asked her to hide knowledge of us because I was being tailed by Unspeakables. I knew either you or Moody might have ways to escape the spell's effects but the others wouldn't be so lucky."

"Particularly deceptive of you, Harry," he said.

"Which makes me wonder more and more," I said. "Are these my thoughts or are they Voldemorts?"

Dumbledore sighed, running a hand through his beard. "The magic protection is old magic, Harry," he said. "From a time when magic wasn't in the form we know now, before it was actively spoken. Sacrificial magic, giving you protection from the man who tried to kill you, making his spells have less of a footing. It means Tom can't hurt you."

"What about the Bond of Blood, what hand does it play in this?" I asked.

"The Bond is a spell I put into the mix," the man said. "I used the power in Lily's sacrifice to tie you to your aunt, making it so your home would have adequate protections."

"But it slips if I don't consider that place home," I said. "Or when I turn seventeen."

"Yes," he said.

"I don't consider this place home," I said. "It's too different. I don't have my friends nor my family. There are aspects that I like, Aunt Petunia, that Sirius is alive, that you're alive. But it still doesn't feel like home because my kids aren't here. What does that mean to everything?"

"It means the Bond would have slipped," said Dumbledore. "But the spell your mother put on you would still work fine."

"But what if Voldemort had my blood at one point," I said. "And he made that protection forfeit?"

"Then things start getting muddled," said Dumbledore. "Because magic is sometimes very unpredictable. It's especially so when we don't understand how various factors interact, chief among these being the fact you're from another timeline. It could very well be that magic is catching up to that fact and your protections are starting to slip."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" I asked, the worst sort of dread in my voice.

Dumbledore looked at me for the longest time before he said words I'd never thought I'd hear from the man.

"I don't know."


	42. Chapter 42

4-10

It was with a sense of dejection that I walked into towards the door I'd left in the early hours of the morning. Dumbledore and I had had a long chat about things, with him mostly reassuring me that he'd be looking into this and that he would succeed in finding an answer, but I was more than a little scared. Something like this was bound to make me question every thought I had even make everyone else antsy.

I took a breath, calming myself down and repeating mental exercises that would clear my thought process.

The Room had deposited me in a portion of the Forbidden Forest, just beyond the wards. I hadn't noticed it before, too set in my task, but right it was the only thing to earn my attention: the Forest was too dark, making it hard to see anything beyond a few steps ahead of me.

I wasn't scared though, I was confident enough in my own ability that I could—I reacted, pulling my wand up and around my head as I caught a flash of light with the corner of my eyes. The shield flared into life and the spell impacted, a burst of light erupting that was so bright that my eyes burned and I could see nothing but white.

"Homenum Revelio," I muttered, stumbling back and pointing my arm in a random direction. _Fumos,_ I thought and I could feel it as the black smoke erupted from my wand, falling on top of me and hiding me from their gazes.

There were three of them to my left and they were running in my direction. I tapped the corner of my head as I turned over, getting to my feet; as though plunged in ice, my eyes cooled and the white turned to black: the smokescreen.

I heard a crack too close to my head and I stayed low as I started to move. I focused on the trio and pointed my wand roughly in the direction before three birds torpedoed out of my wand, jetting towards them. Keeping low I moved my wand, summoning three Prongs and sending them off to Dudley, Remus and Dumbledore.

My awkward run meant I was quickly out of the smokescreen's effect and I quickly reapplied it, making sure it spread out in all directions to better cover me. Pushing a bit of focus towards the Revealment Charm I could see that the trio had broadened their range, searching in a formation that made sure I wouldn't be escaping towards the castle.

If they were that trained then without a doubt they would have bewitched the area to stop Apparition but it was something I had to try; I turned on the spot only to slam into something where there was usually nothing.

This had been premeditated. Either someone who'd seen me leave—which made me think the Unspeakables—or someone who'd set this entire thing into motion. It couldn't be the former or this would have been cleaner, tighter, with me losing the moment I appeared here, which meant it was likely the latter.

I something that wasn't human, a shape that was made entirely of heat mothing towards me. I started running faster, still making sure to keep low to avoid any of the random spells firing in my direction. I felt the heat monster when it got closer, powerful enough that it parte the my smokescreen. An absent gesture and the de-transfigured the thing, but just as quickly it pulled itself together.

Something else then. I couldn't keep running, especially with the low light, which meant. I turned on the spot, not wanting to appear outside but a few metres in front of me; a turn and I was moving through the tube. Something grabbed me, a strong hook getting caught in my being and changing my direction. I had a moment to panic before it all ended and I appeared with a stumble in a large circle with inscriptions at the four corners.

"Harry," said Michael Cornfoot standing beside Daphne, Neville and Hermione. "Good of you to finally arrive."

I didn't much hear the last, instead looking at a person whose betrayal hit the worst. She was looking back at me, devoid of any expression I found familiar, for that matter there wasn't much expression. Before, I'd kept reminding myself that these weren't the people I knew, but this more than anything fully fortified that fact.

She wasn't the Hermione I knew. She wasn't my Hermione. And yet I still had to ask.

"Why?"

"This is for the greater good, Harry," she said, recognising that the question was meant for her. "It didn't make sense before, but that you died, had to die, makes a lot more sense when we take this into account. Voldemort can't die while you're still alive. In our place you're likely to make the same decision we have."

"So you're what?" I asked, my voice not filled with anger but instead roar. "Going to kill me?"

"We thought about it," said Neville. "But ultimately the majority was against it. We're going to keep you until we figure out a way to help you. If that can't be done, then yes, we are."

"People will notice if I'm gone," I said.

"Yes," said Daphne. "Usually they would. But in this case they won't. You'll no doubt have called Dumbledore…" she said, leaving the rest unsaid. They'd planned this, set out the board so that I could what? Be on the run?

Michael summoned a Patronus, a small beetle that shot through the air. A moment later a light shot through the air, breaking apart into a burst of fireworks. Pretty quickly there were more flashes of light, cracks of spell and even fire spreading out; wizards appeared in the air on brooms, raining down spells and then that all stopped.

A small sparrow Patronus appeared. "Everything went as planned," it said.

"You're now officially on the run," said Neville. "People in school won't question it."

"Except Dudley," I said and regretted saying it. "Or the other students. Expecto Patronum," I said and Prongs spilled out, taking off at a run, he dispelled the moment he was beyond the line.

"We expected that," said Hermione. She sighed. "I hope you see that this is for the best, Harry."

"I was trying to get help," I said, pain in my voice.

"Maybe," said Neville. "But we can't trust you with a portion of Voldemort's soul and especially with the influence you've been able to garner, your successes."

Before I could say anything more I couldn't breathe. I moved my wand, trying to summon air but there was nothing there to transfigure. They'd turned this into a vacuum and pretty soon I would lose consciousness.

I could do nothing as the spots of black started, encroaching on my vision before there was nothing but black.


	43. Chapter 43

5-01

 _Harry Potter on the run after being caught making contact with Albus Dumbledore, a man still evading arresting after using an Unforgiveable Curse to murder a Hogwarts student._

The words were writing in large print in the Daily Prophet and though the wording was different, the same thing was being said by the Wizarding Herald. Harry had been caught making contact with Dumbledore, the reason why was unknown but speculations were being made, one of which was that Harry was under the former Headmaster's thrall.

All of it was bollocks, of course. Everyone might have loved the drama, but they too most likely knew that it was bollocks. But there really was nothing they could do because most of them didn't have the slightest idea what was going on.

Dudley took a breath, slowly in and out, repeated over and over to calm himself down. If he had his wand right now he feared the display it would make because he was the world's pissed.

He took in another long breath and let it out, letting a portion of his mind work through the anger while the greater part of his mind took everything in: He was being looked at, this was easy to see and easy to guess at. He was Harry's cousin, they were close and he was likely to know what was going on from their perspective. They would be curious.

He pushed all those people back and focused on those in the know, the first years. He started outward in. First focusing on the Slytherins, how Zabini and Greengrass sat apart, each in their own conversation, all without even glancing at him. They had an idea of what was really going on and they were trying to not to give anything away.

Nott and Davis were looking at him at intervals, their expression hard to read but there was a bit of curiosity and excitement in the way Nott held himself. He had an idea and was excited by it. Davis only looked curious.

Brocklehurst, though, was bored by the entire thing, not paying it any particular attention. Dudley didn't know her that well, having not spoken to her yet and couldn't decide if it was because she knew something or she didn't particularly care about all this.

Then Ravenclaw. Every face that was a poker face, devoid of most expression except that they were focusing on their meal. He couldn't get much from them because all of them weren't emotive, with most of their expression being a slight interest sparkling through their eyes.

Gryffindor was a mixture of expressions. Neville wore a poker face, eating his breakfast methodically. Lily, Dean and Divina had expressions ranging from anger and confusion, to a fear that was hidden beneath the surface. Draco tried for a poker face but there was slight guilt cast over the entire thing.

Hufflepuff was Hufflepuff, with everyone there casting a worried expression towards him.

 _Doesn't mean it isn't hiding guilt,_ he told himself, _or fear about what I'm going to do._

Dudley took a breath in and the let it out. He grabbed the copies of the newspapers and climbed to his feet, earning more attention at the motion but he pushed it back. It would be a greater move right now to be acting, putting on a face while he thought but through the anger and uncertainty he didn't care about it all. Either Harry was dead and he would kill everyone and anyone involved, or he was still alive and being kept captive in this castle.

He had to hope it was the latter and that this time, unlike the last, Harry wouldn't die.

The man heard footsteps and turned, a scowl already in his features and hands closed into fists. It was just a girl, fourth year and from Ravenclaw house, but the moment she saw Dudley's expression she flinched, stopped and then turned around, returning to her table.

The moment he was out of the Great Hall, Dudley reached into his pocket and pulled out the miniaturised sword, prepared for the fact that they might just attack him. He opened a hole in his barriers and connected to the shield, feeling its mental weight against his left hand and just waiting for him to activate it.

There was the chance that he might get attacked, the same farce put out to the general public and his disappearance never really questioned.

 _They're going to pay for this,_ he thought and he had an image of the people involved. It was _them,_ the Society. They'd done this, Dudley was sure of it even if he didn't have concrete proof.

But he'd seen the signs. That Hermione could print this, that Draco would feel guilty, that all of this would happened after Michael's whole diatribe. How had he missed it? How had he missed that Michael wasn't a worthy candidate for the Collective? That he already had ties to the Society?

 _This is proof that you're not infallible,_ he thought to himself. _That they can play this game just as well as you can._

He let out a sigh, for the first time looking and seeing he'd found himself in the dungeons. But why? Because Harry lived here? Or because Snape was a member of the Order and they could help?

 _I have to think this through. Play this right. One long game and I'm on the losing side. The first step. Numbers._

He turned around because thought Snape was help, he couldn't control his approach, not mentioning that he didn't know how Divina's spell played into all of this. He scaled up the stairs, pausing when he heard a ruckus coming from a flight up.

Dudley stopped, finding an alcove. Student passed by, fifth years, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, no doubt headed for the new Defence Against the Dark Arts class. An idea hit and though it could be stupid, Dudley was already running through all the ways he could make it work, but first was the numbers.

Two at a time he scaled up the stairs until he was out of the dungeons. He found went down a long corridor, went through a door that took him outside to the greenhouses. He was entered, Professor Sprout stopping in between her speech and giving Dudley a long look.

"In, Mr Evans, and close the door behind you," she said before continuing her lectures.

Dudley looked around, taking everything in. They shared this class with Ravenclaw and they weren't looking at him. He didn't think that all of them could be in the Society, but it was possible that a majority was. He looked at Michael, at the disregard the boy showed with how he moved, confident, the same sort of confidence he'd spoken with after Harry had left.

He took in a long breath and let it out. It wouldn't do to feel angry. It would hamper what he did.

When class left he was the last one out, moving slower to collect his supply, with Justin at his side doing the same although much slower. He couldn't trust most people which meant he couldn't be in very large crowds were a hex might hit him at it being unable to be pointed towards anyone.

"Dudley, we—" Justin started but Dudley stopped him with a gesture. Their next class was History of Magic but they went the wrong way, turning into an abandoned class filled with dusty furniture.

"Put up wards," said Dudley. "Make sure we can't be heard."

Justin nodded and pulled out his wand, running it in complicated patterns that Dudley wouldn't yet be able to integrate so seamlessly. A few minutes passed before Justin gave a nod, muttering that he was done.

"This is a farce, you know that right?"

Justin nodded. "It's the Society, isn't it?" he said. "This is just like what they did in the Chamber. Making moves that affect all of us without involving us."

"Yeah. I think they played us," he said. "Harry mentioned that the Society was antsy about him establishing the Collective. I'm guessing they had Michael dwindle what little numbers we already had."

Justin let out a breath, looking grave. "Do you think they, you know, killed him?"

Dudley swallowed, feeling his eyes starting to burn and that anger rearing up. He shook his head. He wasn't sure, but he had to hope for it. "Doing that would be stupid, it would draw distinct lines, it would make the rest of us worried that they might take us out next. It would make us band together."

"If that's the case then it's possible their next move will be to call a meeting," said Justin. "Explain what they did so that we don't band together."

Dudley gave a short nod, seeing the logic in the thought. "We need to act before that," said Dudley. "Get the Collective together and fighting the Society, showing them that we won't stand for this."

"But how we can be sure who's not in the Society?"

"For now, Dean and Lily," said Dudley. "You talk to them. I'll find out what happened to Harry and make sure the adults don't get involved in this too soon," he said. "They might mess things up with the Fidelius in the works."

Justin nodded. Dispelling the enchantments. They moved onto their next class.


	44. Chapter 44

5-02

Wand held tight Dudley walked through the hall, his steps deft and quieted down. He could see the girls as they walked, talking amongst themselves. They were Slytherin, which meant it was likely they were old blood and they had formal training. This had to be done quickly.

He pointed his wand and waved his wand in a tight circle, the spell hissed through the air, causing four of the girls to turn while one continued forward. The spell hit and one of the six slumped. Wands were pulled out but three more girls had already fallen, leaving two.

"Run, get help," one of the girls said after having conjured a shield. She started to but two spells from the other side landed, causing the remaining girls to slump.

Dean appeared on the other side of the hall.

"I'll start with the memory charms," he said. "You sure you can do the Charm?"

Dudley nodded and walked to one of the girls. He pointed his wand and focused, it was important he didn't put too much power behind the spells or the girl would be insensate.

"Incarcerous," said Dudley, moving his wand and conjuring ties to hold the girl. Dudley flicked his wand and had the girl in a sitting position. Another flick and the girl awoke.

"Confundus," he said and he focused on the idea.

A minute and then two and then the girl smiled. "The password to Slytherin is Parselmouth," she said. "I'll get everything done at around six."

"Good," said Dudley. "Off you go," he said vanishing the ties.

The girl stood and tightened her hold around her wand. Dean walked to Dudley and tapped him on the head, doing the same for himself and disappearing from sight. The girl pointed her wand at the others and started undoing the Stunners. As a group the girls got up, brushed off their robes and then continued as though nothing had ever happened.

"We've got a few more on our side," said Dean as they walked. "I don't trust him, but Theodore's on our side. He liked Harry and is scared about the amount of pull the Society has. We've got Lily, Lavender and Fray from my house; no one from Ravenclaw, I'm thinking they don't want to make enemies; and you know your house."

"Justin, Hannah and Gregory," said Dudley. "I don't entirely trust Greg, he's too quiet, but we need all the number we can get."

"What's our course of action now?" asked Dean.

"I need you to work events so that Draco is alone," Dudley said. "He's something I can break down."

Dean nodded. "After lunch," he said and then the split up.

Turning into a different sector of the dungeons Dudley started moving faster, using his wand he dispelled Dean's spell and entered a room.

"Expecto Patronum," he said and summoned his boar. "Mom," he said to the pig. "I'm going to fix everything. Don't worry. I'm staying safe."

The turned into a ball and then flew away. He took in another breath before he let it out in one long huff.

She'd been worried since hearing everything. She'd been hurt when Harry had decided to become a legal adult. Dudley had no idea how she'd react now that Harry was missing.

He walked out and then down the hall again, up a flight of stairs and into the Great Hall. He moved until he was sitting at the Hufflepuff table beside Justin, the two didn't speak, only ate. It wasn't impossible that the Society was listening to them right now, waiting for what they were going to do.

Fifteen minutes and the pair stood. Susan followed, not even trying to hide the fact she was doing so.

"Dud, Justin wait," she said when they were a floor up.

Dudley turned, a glare directed at the girl. "Anything you say to me and I swear I'll kill you," Dudley said and meaning it. "I don't care about anything else."

The girl looked shocked, slightly agape. Dudley had never been this direct before. He'd been too good at acting, but this time he was pissed beyond all else, and they were doing this with the image that they were the good guys when they were ruining people's lives.

She gave a nod and then walked back, still looking at them, not turning their back.

Justin and Dudley shared a look and the latter could read through the former's expression. That what Dudley had done was stupid and it would force the Society to work faster in whatever they were trying to achieve now.

"We'll have to move faster," said Dudley and Justin nodded and then rushed towards a corridor that took them down towards the basement. They entered, finding the Common Room empty except for two people: Cedric and Tonks.

"You weren't followed?" said Dudley, asking Cedric.

The older boy shook his head, he had a confused look about him, the spell at work but he still remembered enough that he was still an asset. "I was discreet," he said. "On the watch for anyone that might have an interest."

"An interest?" said Tonks. "What in Merlin's name is going on?"

"What they're saying about Harry isn't true," said Dudley, being blunt, looking at her she would respond to that sort of thing. She was a Black on her mother's side and she had a side that was primed for deceit, but that her mother had chosen the blunted ways of getting branded a Blood Traitor was a testament against that.

"Do you have proof?" she asked. "And even if you do, what does it have to do with me being here?"

"I want you to help me save him," said Dudley. "He's still in the castle, but I'll need your help in finding him."

"Shouldn't the Headmistress know about his?" asked Tonks. "She could help."

"She'll be harder to control," said Dudley. "Listen," he said. "Harry told me about the conversation you two had. He told me that he was a little rude there but he'd try and apologise when he had the chance. He also told me about what you can do. I've got a plan in the works and I think your ability can help me."

She frowned before shaking her head. "I knew there was something odd about all you," she said with a grin. "By doing this, I want in," she said. "I want to know everything."

"I'll tell you all I can," said Dudley, which wouldn't be much with the spell. "Thanks, Ced. You might want to be in your room for a while, play sick. It explains your disappearance. I really don't want people connecting us."

Cedric nodded and then rushed off to his room.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Tonks, an excited to in her voice.

"Turn into Draco," said Dudley. "Preferably don't talk to anyone because the other first years are as strange as we are and they'll be expecting _something_ if not this."

A blue light appeared, expanding into a large bear, "Five minutes," it said in Dean's voice.

"We have to go now, where we can make the switch," he said already moving towards the door.

"This is so exciting," said Tonks. "I'll catch up."

Dudley and Justin were already moving, heading in the direction of the Great Hall. They heard the commotion on the first floor, saw Peeves throwing a myriad of water balloons towards a group of Gryffindor students and laughing like a loon. Some of the older kids had their wands out, shooting spells at the thing but in all it was a mess.

"Join the hubbub," said Dudley to Tonks in Draco's form. He saw the blond boy in the fray, ducking under the way of a water balloon. Peeves sent out another balloon that hit a kid, but instead of sending out a water, the hall was filled with an inky black substance that quickly spread outwards, filling the air.

"One, two, three," said Justin and they both said, "Tractum," and pulling their wands.

As though grabbed by a strong forced, the real Draco was grabbed out of the fray and pulled towards them, meeting a Stunner before he could react.


	45. Chapter 45

5-03

"Try to shift into your reptilian form and I'll be forced to reverse it," said Justin, wand pointed towards the stirring Draco. "I don't know if you know, but the spell isn't too pleasant."

Draco's features warped into anger as he looked between the two of them. Dudley and Justin stood over him in one of the secret rooms scattered through the castle.

"You know this will earn you the ire of the others, right?" said Draco, his tone counter to his expression.

"I don't care about that," said Dudley, the words making Draco look in his direction. "I care more about Harry than anything else. Much like you for that matter, different reasons, though, but nonetheless I can see."

"What are you implying?" Draco asked, but Dudley could see the way Draco was looking at him; the guarded expression, the tense shoulders and the bated breath.

"I'm not implying anything," said Dudley. "But rest assured I'm perceptive enough that I've noticed. I'm just a little surprised that you were able to put your feeling aside and do this, kill him."

Draco's eyes moved, a minimal motion, opening wider with slight hints of incredulity within. Dudley let out a breath of relief.

"He's still alive," he said to Justin.

"You're cold reading me," said Draco, his tone of slight surprise.

"Where is he?" Dudley asked, ignoring the statement.

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" said Draco.

"Because you care about Harry," said Dudley. "This has something to do with the whole Horcrux thing. I don't know much about it. I really don't care because I know Harry enough to know that he was already working to stopping this corruption everyone believes is setting root. The other won't have believed that even though it was more likely that you would have thought along the same lines.

"If he's not dead it's because you're afraid of what it might mean, either that or you don't want his blood on your hands. But that will only last so long before one of you uses the greater good as justification and takes the simpler path to all of this. If you don't tell me. If you don't tell us. You're increasing the probability that he'll die."

A reaction but it was small, covered up. A small sign of guilt, mouth moving as though he wanted to answer and just as quickly he closed off.

"You won't manipulate me," he said. "Dobby."

There was a crack and house elf in a suite appeared. It took one glance at the situation and pointed a hand in Dudley and Justin's direction; there was a flood of light but the pair were already moving, Dudley dodging to the side while Justin conjured a thick metal shield.

The spell landed with a loud gong, the metal warping under the force of the impact. Dudley rolled to his feet with his wand already pointed and three white spells moving in the direction of the elf. Dobby snapped his fingers and an aurora borealis effect surrounded the pair.

The spells hit the periphery of the effect and they rebounded, moving towards Dudley only to be blocked by his shield.

"Everbero!" shouted Justin and at the word there was a crack as the spell hit the effect, breaking it. "Impedimenta!"

The spell and Dobby's own spell intercepted each other, breaking apart into a flurry of fireworks.

Dobby said a word Dudley couldn't understand and before he could react he was pushed off his feet, spun through the air and slammed into the ground. He quickly came to his feet but Dobby and Draco were already gone.

"That didn't go as planned," said Justin, coming to his feet and brushing off some dust.

"But we know he's alive now," said Dudley. "Let's start from there. It's only a matter of time before he returns to the Society and they work faster to covering their tracks."

"What are you thinking?" Justin asked.

"That there are only two very secure places that they could keep Harry in," said Dudley.

"The Chamber and the Room," said Justin. "Two teams? One heading towards the Chamber and another to the Room?"

"Yeah. But we'll need someone at least close to a Parselmouth to get into the Chamber. It's why I wanted to Draco, but I wasn't expecting that bloody elf to get involved."

"Aren't elves not supposed to attack witches and wizards?" Justin asked.

"Dobby's a free elf. He can do whatever he wants," Dudley muttered. "Kreacher!" Nothing happened. "Bloody hell, elf, come here now. Kreacher!"

Nothing happened.

"I hate that elf," Dudley muttered. He let out a long breath, calming himself before taking. "Even the Room has its own problems because we don't know the specifics of the room they're using."

"I think this might add another day to this operation," said Justin.

"Bad for us because we'll be dealing with the full force of the Society against us," said Dudley. He sighed. "Let's call all the others. We need to force the Society's hand. Show them that we aren't willing to play nice anymore."

"Going on the attack?" said Justin. "That's…that's asking a lot of from us."

"You aren't going to do it?" asked Dudley, his surprise unfeigned.

"I am," said Justin. "But… the others might not. This is going to be dangerous. Outright war."

"I don't like it," said Dudley. "But we have to prepare for war. Let's get to class, speak to the others on our way."

Justin sighed but they moved.

888

"He's still alive," said Dudley. In the room with him were Dean, Fray and Tracy. "I managed that much before Draco sicced his house-elf on us."

"But house-elves can affect wizards and witches," said Tracy, surprised.

"Draco's elf was freed," said Dean. "The rules don't apply the same way anymore. Justin said something about going to war over this. Do you think we can match them? They've been at this longer. We don't know the resources that they have."

"But someone in the school might," said Fray. "Our broker."

"Do you think we can find him?" asked Dudley.

"Between myself and Lily, yes, we can," she said. "But it'll take a day or two at most."

"I don't like waiting," he said. "But I don't want to come into the half-cocked. We can use the time while you find the broker to get the people on the fringes on our side. Dean, you up for it?"

He nodded. "Some might want something, but yeah," he said. "I can set things up."

"We'll also have to get some curses put on both the Chamber and the Room," said Tracy. "Give them a harder time accessing their strongholds. Just in case Harry is in either of those places."

"Let's get on that," said Dudley. "Do you have anyone who'd be willing to join?"

"Theo's been aching to do something," she said.

"Then after dinner we get to that," said Dudley.


	46. Chapter 46

5-04

"You're better at this than Potter is," said Theo as they walked, wands held and towards Myrtle's toilet. Beside him were Tracy and Lily. "Getting everyone together. Making us work together. It makes me wonder why he's the leader where the both of you are concerned."

"There is no leader between us," Dudley said absently. "We just work well apart, making it look better together."

"Not the way I see it," said Tracy. "Potter's too used to being in control."

Lily hummed. "Not a dig against the guy because if I had his successes I would be that gung-ho about being leader too," she said. "Quirrell. The basilisk and then partially figuring out everything what Su was up to. All the while hiding all of this from the Broker."

"Maybe the reason the Society was antsy enough to pull this off," said Tracy. "Harry has been having more than a few successes lately. Gathering enough momentum, he would have eventually made a play against them."

This wasn't new to him, all of it. Unlike Harry, Dudley actually liked playing the deceit game, listening for information and looking for the small tells within people. From the what everyone else didn't say, Dudley knew they all thought Harry was some sort of genius, playing them all to some grander agenda they didn't know about. Which was the reason he was being watched more than anyone else, his moves being the first to filter through the grapevine.

Dudley hadn't told Harry any of this, of course, because knowing Harry, he would say something to someone that would make them doubt that image. Something Dudley couldn't have with the amount of protection it afforded the sometimes reckless Harry Potter.

He sighed before taking a long breath in and letting it out.

He needed to focus on the forwards path. They entered the hall and in the distance they could see the entrance to Myrtle's toilet. Harry had made it so the Chamber was left open after the Ministry attack, ensuring that any of the time travellers would be able to enter. The Society had tried to close it but Harry had opened it over and over until they'd chosen instead to build strong enough ward around the area that no one would think to come here.

"There's a spell on the entire hallway," said Tracy, she was looking down at something small in her pocket. "A curse, the same sort that Potter did on all of us."

"New," said Lily. "It wasn't here the last time I can stalking here."

"Maybe something for the Unspeakables?" asked Theo.

"Or maybe it's because we knew you'd come here," said Terry, exiting the toilet with three large mannequins behind him, all black, with glowing cubes at their centre.

"Is this you trying to bar our way into the Chamber?" asked Dudley, grabbing at his breast pocket and extending the sword. He focused and the shield flared into life, extending to it normal size.

Confusion flickered across Theo's face and Dudley could read a lot from it. That wasn't why he'd come here. He'd thought something else, from the protection he'd thought that they were here for him. They knew Draco was gone, undoubtedly they'd found Tonks out, so from their perspective the objective of all this was finding Society members and capturing them.

They could play that card.

Dudley rushed forward, shield at the ready. The mannequins moved, one of them grabbing Theo while the others moved forward; hands pointed forward and thick beams of light shot out. Dudley jumped to the side, landing in a roll before he brought up the sword, extending it. The sword bisected the first of the mannequin, breaking apart with a large burst of fireworks.

Dudley caught another shaft of light at the corner of his eyes and brought up his shield; the impact was hard, enough that it sent electricity up his arm. He swung the sword, but the mannequin ducked low and then bolted forward towards Dudley.

The boy pulled the sword back before extending it again and spearing the thing through the cube.

He let out a breath.

"Save us some of the action sometime," said Theo just as Lily was asking, "Why?"

"They thing we're trying to capture them," said Dudley. "I'd rather have them believe that than them protecting their strongholds. We have to put up a commendable effort but he has to escape."

"He'll not doubt be getting more toys from in there," said Tracy.

"Then we'd best be prepared," said Lily.

They didn't have to wait long because five more of those damned mannequins shot out of the toilet, both hands pointed in their direction. Theo and Tracy were quick to react, wands moving and forming shields before the beams of light could land. Deep vibrations run through the things, lines drawing themselves out as they threatened to break.

"Not going to hold," said Tracy.

"Drop them!" said Lily giving a side-long glance to Dudley. The man nodded and the shields dropped; the pair dropped low moving forward, bolting towards the mannequins. A beam was directed a Lily but the girl jumped to the side and forward, landing on a roll before she lunged.

The jump took her further than she should have and she landed on one of the mannequins while Dudley sliced one in half. She kept moving as the thing tried to shove her off, getting on the thing's shoulders and pulling its head clean off its shoulders; the thing slumped. She fell back, landing in a tumble that brought her to her feet.

Another mannequin pointed a hand only for an orange spell to land, making the thing erupt in a plume of fire. A beam shot towards Dudley but he jumped over the thing, spinning and extending his blade. He cleaved two mannequins in half.

"Reducto!" Tracy shouted and the spell landed on the thing's arm, causing a portion of the thing to crumble. One arm moved to point but a purple curse severed the arm.

"That," said Theo, a broad grin on his face, "was awesome! Merlin," the man said. "How do you and Potter do it," he said, voice filled with an abundance of excitement. "Always getting the fun stuff."

Dudley ignored him, looking at Lily.

"He slipped through during the fight," she said. "Had some spells that hit sight and sound. He must have been in a rush because he didn't hide scent."

"Good," said Dudley. "Let's get started on cursing this place. Your worst curses," he said to Tracy, Theo and Lily. "It should do everything short of killing them. We should make coming here too much of an inconvenience."

The trio nodded and Dudley moved forward. He had to check for sure that the door was closed and indeed it was.

The trio got to work.

888

"Parselmouth," said Dudley and the doors spread open. He was a little surprised by the general feel of Slytherin, how it was different from the homely warmth which resonated through Hufflepuff. It was colder, something that wasn't helped by the ever-present green colouring over everything.

He walked in, wand in his hand and at the ready. He moved through the Common Room and into a long passage. He kept moving, following directions he'd been given until he was in a circular room with three doors. He walked to the rightmost room and his hand stopped over the doorknob.

"Harry," Dudley muttered under his breath. 'Please tell me you thought about this eventuality."

He let out a breath and closed his hand against the knob. He twisted and pushed and the door opened. He stepped inside, feel heat running over his skin and his hairs standing on end before it all faded.

Dudley let out a breath he hadn't known he'd taken in. He looked around until he found a curtain that seemed at odds with the motif of the room. He pointed his wand and flicked it, opening them. The mirror, made bigger by magic, was stuck against the wall.

Dudley walked closer to the mirror and said, "Sirius Black."

Nothing happened.

"Remus Lupin."

No sooner had he said this than the mirror blinked alight and Remus appeared.

"Merlin, Har—" He stopped, his expression twisting when his mind took in the fact that it was Dudley he was speaking to. "Dudley. What's going on, Harry sent a message that he was being attacked and now—"

"I know who took him, Remus," said Dudley.

"Who," the man asked before Dudley could say anything more.

"The Society," said Dudley. "It won't mean much because there's a spell in the work. Can you get either Dumbledore and Moody? This might move along faster when I've got a small thing sorted."

"Of course. Of course," the man said. The image behind him moved, showing a fluid background and stopping at points. There was a brief stop and then the background shifted entirely. "Professor," said Remus. "I have Dudley on the mirror and he says he knows who took Harry."

"A moment," said Dumbledore. The greater image on the mirror shrunk and two people were shown on the mirror. "Mr Evans," said Dumbledore. "Remus tells me you know who attacked and kidnapped Harry, framing me in the process."

"It was the Society," said Dudley. "I'm hoping that while Harry was here he told you enough to know about them."

"No," said Dumbledore. "I'm afraid not. Am I right to assume it's the other time travellers in your year?"

"Time travellers?" said Remus. He looked like he wanted to ask more but he stayed his tongue.

"Yes," said Dudley. "They're a collection of our the smartest and most influential amongst us. When they found out that Harry was forming the Collective they got scared, thinking he was Voldemort and now they've kidnapped him for god knows what purpose."

"Do you need our help?" asked Remus.

"No," said Dudley. "I'd rather you stayed your hand. There's still the greater game at hand, Harry's game, and I don't want to ruin that. In the last day I've been making plans to get Harry back, setting various events into motion and I think we have a very good chance of forcing their hand.

"If you join the game, I feel like it would ruin other things in the works. The trust that I have with the people who've joined the Collective, more Aurors in the school and maybe the Unspeakables tailing us again."

"You had the Unspeakables on you tail?" said Remus, looking pale all of a sudden. "Merlin. What have you been doing in that school?"

"Harry will tell you when he gets out," said Dudley. "After the campaign I doubt he'll be able to come back here even if it was a golem that they were using."

"Quite," said Dumbledore. "Harry linked himself to me during the Wizengamot meeting, he will be no friend of the Ministry. Perhaps it would be better in the long run if I turned myself in," the man said. "I can't help but feel that all of this has given Tom and Su time to move their plans forward while the Ministry focuses on myself and young Harry."

"No," said Remus. "If you're gone Voldemort is sure to be bolder in his moves. He tried to break into Gringotts of all places."

"Can we focus on this, first," said Dudley. "Give me three days. After which, if I haven't freed Harry, you can come in with your own plans."

"It will take some convincing once Sirius finds out about this," said Dumbledore. "But I trust your judgement Dudley. You have your two days."


	47. Chapter 47

5-05

There were Aurors again at Hogwarts and Dudley was starting to think that pretty soon they would become a mainstay at the school with all the trouble they were causing. But it couldn't be helped, all of them were trying to do so much and it only made sense that every so often they would bud heads.

He pushed those thoughts aside as he focused on his breakfast, eating and looking over everything. He sat at the base of the Hufflepuff table, closer to the exit and away from the other whom he suspected might be part of the Society. Justin, as always, sat next to him and charm to keep in sound surrounded them.

"There's a meeting tonight," he said. "Susan talked spoke to me last night. I think it would be a good idea that the entirety of the Collective be there."

Dudley nodded as he ate, stopping when a paper airplane stopped over him, unfolding into a three names, Ron Weasley, Divina Runcorn and Gregory Goyle, too having joined the Collective. Three more in their number, enough that even if they hadn't planned anything they would have that pull behind them.

Dudley pulled out a pencil and jotted down for Dean tell them about the meeting tonight before sending the plane off. The papers arrived and the Prophet told of a sighting of Dumbledore in a small wizarding village in Ireland, and that Aurors were on scene, investigating what he might be doing in the area. The Herald had decided to break international news, apparently an eleven year old had successfully taken over a muggle town and was holding down wizarding authorities on those parts.

"Merlin," Justin muttered beside Dudley, his eyes on his own copy of the Herald. "This means we're not the only ones."

"This is what they want to talk about," said Dudley, feeling anger stirring in his stomach. He'd thought they were dealing with Harry and the amount of damage the Collective was doing for his benefit, but it seemed that wasn't the case. They were thinking bigger than _this,_ thinking bigger than him.

He took a long breath in and slowly let it out.

He had to focus on the future. He was still doing damage to them, making it so they didn't have access to their resources, making it so that they were scared to be on their own for fear of being attacked by the Collective. The meeting would be a good place to demand for Harry's release.

The school day went much as usual. There were no fights between the halls, Collective members stayed together and Society members did the same, shooting distrusting gazes at them every so often. The atmosphere about them was palpable enough that Dudley saw that others noticed.

At lunch he was stopped by a man dressed in gold robes.

"Mr Evans," he said. "You've been requested by Aurors Simmons to the Headmistresses office."

Dudley and Hannah shared a look before they both started walking in the direction, following the Auror and keeping an eye out for any attacks. The Society had warped the mind of an Unspeakable, it wasn't out of the question that they could have done the same thing to an Auror.

When they reached the Headmistresses' door, the Auror said the passphrase the gargoyle jumped to the side. They scaled up the stairs and stopped in the main entrance.

"You'll have to wait outside, Ms Abbot," said the Auror.

"How do you know my name?" asked Hannah, injecting just the right amount of surprise in her tone.

"It's my job to know," the man said with a smile that was supposed to come off as disarming but did nothing to alleviate the small amount of fear that Dudley had.

They shared a long look before Dudley entered the room. He was surprised to see that the office was bare. It was devoid of the many instruments that the place had housed when Dumbledore had called it his office, but it still had its own toys, the most impressive of which was the large diagram of the castle sitting as centre stage.

Further into the room was a large desk, an uncomfortable looking chair and three people.

"Hello, Mum," said Dudley. Clearing the distance and giving the woman a hug. Petunia folded into the hug, shaking a little with what Dudley thought were restrained tears.

"Dudley," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I've missed you."

"Missed you too, Mum," Dudley returned.

"How have you been? How has been everything?" she asked in a rush filled with emotion.

The woman, Auror Simmons, cleared her throat. "If we'd begin with the questioning," she said. "This really won't take much of your time and you might have time to speak after the fact."

"Of course, of course," said Petunia. The two of them moved until they were seating on two chairs, Auror Simmons sitting opposite them on the chair that would be normally reserved for the Headmistress. The woman herself chose that moment to leave her office.

Auror Simmons pulled out a quill and notepad, letting the things hover beside her. A quick-quotes-quill, and from the damage it had accumulated it looked old enough that it would have gotten accustomed to her note taking technique.

"Let's begin," she said. "Mr Evans, do you know why you're here?"

"Because of what they say Harry did," he said, warping his voice to inject small amounts of fear and uncertainty. He looked at the woman, taking in the way she sat, the way her eyes took him in and he could see that it wouldn't work.

He let go of the act, sat straighter, looked at her directly in the eyes. It was small, but she could see the woman's expression changing in triumph.

"What they say?" Auror Simmons said. "You don't believe it's true?"

"No," said Dudley, the fear gone. "Harry isn't stupid. If this happened, then it would have been stupid."

"Why is that?" the woman asked.

"Because it doesn't make sense to ally yourself with Dumbledore in the current climate," said Dudley. "Especially with what the Ministry thinks it's subtlely doing. And don't ask me what it is, I think you're smart enough to have figured it out too."

The remark was said in a bored voice but Dudley could see the reaction. The woman's features souring before they relaxed. All of this happening so quickly that Dudley might have missed it were he not looking for it.

"There's a popular rumour in the Ministry that Mr Potter was being trained by Dumbledore since a young age. Preparing for the unlikely though probable eventuality that You-Know-Who might return. If this rumour is indeed true, then it's very much likely that you too might have received the same training from Dumbledore."

"That's not a question," said Dudley.

"Were you trained by Albus Dumbledore?" the woman asked.

"No," said Dudley, honestly. "But Mad-Eye on the other hand." He shrugged, smiling a little as the woman's eyes bulged. "Doesn't do to be stagnant. If I'm going to be fighting _Voldemort_ beside Harry, then it doesn't do that we both have the same teacher and thus have the same vulnerabilities."

"That sounds like his thought process," the woman said. "If that's true, then I'm assuming you're an Occlumens."

"I am," said Dudley.

The woman nodded. "Mr Evans. Do you know where Mr Potter, is?"

"I don't," said Dudley.

"Do you know where Dumbledore is?" the woman asked.

"I don't," said Dudley and he saw something in the woman's eyes. She knew he was lying, but he couldn't really say any more on that front. She was reading him much as he was reading her. No magic involve just skill.

"Thank you, Mr Evans, that will be all. I'll give you a moment with your mother before telling the Headmistress I'm done," she said and she walked out of the room.

Petunia made to speak but Dudley stopped her. He pulled out his wand and bubbled them with wards Justin and Harry had taught him.

"Sorry," he said. "She could be listening in."

"You said you'd find Harry," she said. "What's going on Dudley? Are you safe?"

Dudley shook his head, letting out a sigh. "I don't know, Mum. Honestly. Things are messed up here. But I'm dealing with it. I will get Harry back."

"That's important, sure," said Aunt Petunia. "But, Dudley, I don't want you putting yourself in danger."

"I'm trying to be safe. I've surrounded myself with people I trust," he said.

"More prodigies," she said and sighed. "All of this is confusing. It's like they knew that this would happen. That everything would go to hell when they trained you."

"That's not exactly right," said Dudley. "Mum, speak to Remus when you get back. Tell him to get you in the loop. There's a spell in the works and it's messing up things we've already worked out."

"Of course," said Petunia. She got up and gave Dudley another hug before she walked outside.

888

They couldn't meet in the Room of Requirements with the curses around the place, which meant they were all saddled into an uncomfortable class room with the distinctions set between Society members and those of the Collective.

Neville Longbottom was the first to speak.

"You've all no doubt either read the or heard the news about the kid in Africa," he said. "And for those who haven't jumped to the conclusion already, it means that there are more of us out there. That this might be a worldwide phenomenon."

"How can we exactly trust that that's real?" Dudley found himself asking. He didn't doubt that the news was real, but he felt like being petty and that meant revealing the secrets people thought were worth protecting.

"It could be a ploy after all," he went on. "Especially with the head of the Herald being Hermione, a member of the Society."

Hermione's reacted, looking at Dudley with a very bored expression. It wouldn't be something that would desperately disadvantage her but it alleviated enough of the pettiness he felt.

"I wouldn't put anything false in my paper," she said, dispersing the information as if it was nothing.

"Still," said Theo. "It does pose the problem of it being _Society information._ And after the recent events, we have to be doubtful of all information that comes from you because it might be trying to distract from the Harry ordeal."

There were no murmurs, but the expression of agreement spread through much of the Collective and long suffering expressions on the Collective members.

Seamus audibly sighed. "I told you we shouldn't have dealt with this alone," he muttered, loud enough that they all could here.

"But that's the problem, isn't it," said Lily. "You all do things that affect the rest of us without taking into account our say in all this. First the Unspeakable and now this."

"You seem to be forgetting that your own leader did cast a curse on probably the entire world without our everyone's say so," said Michael.

"And you're forgetting the fact that we all discussed this," said Dudley. "In our meeting. We didn't make any headway then, with people we now know were in the Society deciding amongst themselves whether they'll actually work to creating this spell. Harry and I decided it was better to go ahead with the spell for our mutual good."

"Is it so hard to believe that we're doing the same thing?" asked Susan.

"I think that ship sailed when you messed with the Unspeakables," said Fray Dunbar. "I might be wrong but I think you guys are a little too smart for your own good. Thinking that you can deal with the Unspeakables without getting the rest of us found out."

"All this might be sorted if you were less exclusive with your information," said Ron. "I heard about the whole Collective thing. How you played out it, leaning information in one direction to your own ends. Tell us everything. What you're planning to do and why because right now, you're making it a very good option to join the Collective."

A deception from Ron's part but a smart one. A show that it would ultimately be a losing battle.

"We're trying to help Harry," said Draco. He must have returned at some point during the day because Dudley hadn't seen him through their classes. "Purge the portion of Voldemort's soul he has inside of him."

"And what? We're just supposed to believe you?" said Dudley. "After going through all the trouble to make sure he wouldn't be missed in Hogwarts, or limiting the people truly looking for him? No. You're doing your best to ease the heat on you when you eventually try to kill him."

"Looks the same to me," Ron said. "Very bad precedent because sooner or later you'll attack me or the others."

"Is the reason why you fear us attacking you in the first place?" Padma drawled. She must have meant it as a joke but with everything it sounded much like a threat. It was probably better that she wasn't allied with either the Society or the Collective.

"You've got to realise that this makes the rest of antsy," said Lavender. "Sure we're not doing anything now, but we might not agree with what you're planning for the future and then am I going to get disappeared too?"

"So what?" said Neville. "You expect us to just release Potter and the taint he'll bring with him?"

"There you go again," said Ron. "Skewing the information. I don't much like Potter but I haven't seen anything that might make me think he's Voldemort."

"Voldemort is a master manipulator," said Michael. "Potter pretty much said that verbatim. All of it could have been an act."

"That's flawed thinking," said Divina. "With that logic, anything thing Harry does is proof that he's Voldemort because he's a master manipulator."

"Hey," said Michael. "He's dangerous. If there's even a small chance that he might be evil then we have to take it as a certainty."

"That's stupid," said Eloise. "I agree that Potter's dangerous, that we need to treat him with an amount of caution, but _this,_ this is unethical."

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Seamus.

"Let Harry do what he was doing," said Dudley. "Why do you think he was out that night?" At the blank looks he said, "He was going to Dumbledore."

"We didn't know that," said Draco.

"We suspected, but it wasn't worth taking the chance," said Hermione. "Him not going to Dumbledore meant he was colluding with either Su or the original Voldemort."

"And we can't be sure now that he did," said Seamus. "All we have is Dudley's word for it."

Dudley pulled out his wand and everyone reacted, wands pulled out and moving to be levelled in his direction. "Expecto Patronum," he said and his warthog spilled out, "Ask Dumbledore if Harry was with him before the whole disappearance thing. It would help if he also gave his full title."

Not even a minute passed before a phoenix Patronus flew into the room and said, "I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," the phoenix said, "and young Mr Potter was in my company before his disappearance."

Then it disappeared.

"And Patronuses can't be faked," said Dudley. "Before anyone gets that idea in their head."

"That just brings with it a whole list of questions," muttered a voice Harry couldn't quite place.

"None of which I'll answer at present," said Dudley. "The question becomes. Are you going to be letting Harry go now? Since you know he was trying to stop all of this from the moment he found out about it?"

Seamus opened his mouth to speak before Eloise, "I don't think there's a need to remind you all again of the over-arching problem in all this."

Those words seemed to make him stopped, looking at his compatriots before he said, "Perhaps we should put this to a vote."

"All those for Potter's release," said Neville. About half the total number of the class' hands rose. "Against?" About the same number with five people abstaining from voting all together.

"I guess it's release, then," said Seamus, his eyes on Draco who'd voted for the release. Dudley smiled a little, because where the man was confused he knew the answer to that particular riddle.

"You'll have him within the hour," said Seamus. "Now if we could return to more important news. The others that are out there and what it means for the rest of us."


	48. Chapter 48

6-01

"Harry?" said Dudley. I looked up at him, feeling two days' worth of exhaustion in that small amount of motion. "Keep breathing, mate," he said and moved, the darkness around him shifted, hitting the rest of the Forest in an ominous light.

He was moving closer to me and my body seized, my hand closing tighter around my wand and the thing almost vibrating in anticipation. I had to take a long breath, visualising an ocean, the crashing of waves and how they gradually lost their momentum. Calming the churning of my mind.

It had been the Draught of Living Death. The potion put a person into a deep sleep, magic ensuring that the body wouldn't erode while it waited for the next part of the potion to awaken the drinker. Usually, my brain would have created a dreamscape that was indistinguishable from the real world. But I was an Occlumens, and when that had happened my mind had rebelled, stopping it cold as it deemed it an attack.

Instead of being stuck in a dream, I'd had nothing to occupy myself with none my memories and with me being the emotional being that I was, I'd been stuck in a loop of the last few days' worth of memories. _Hermione_ trapping me, taking away my air supply and then imprisoning me for the last three days.

My thoughts churned and the seascape got more chaotic. Waves rushing forward and back, crashing against each other in a display that might have broken a person caught within.

"You got me released," I said and Dudley started a little. He'd been looking around, his wand twirling in his hand as he looked beyond the Forest. The were wards around the place, made to hide me by the Society but now they served as a means of protection.

"Yeah," said Dudley, his face scrunching with emotion I couldn't read before it eased. "Knew the most likely target. Caused trouble, got people on my side and they acquiesced the request to release you."

I snorted a little. "I have the feeling you're simplifying that a lot."

"Only a lot," he said. He waved his wand and summoned a large rock, angling it so that it was in front of me and taking a seat. "What now?" he asked. "They've freed you but the damage they've pulled will be hard to reverse."

I looked at him for the longest time, running over the situation in my mind. What he'd have to have done to get all this. The amount of people he'd had to have gotten on his side and the manoeuvring. With all that, it seemed highly unlikely that he hadn't thought this matter through and found a viable solution or solutions.

"What do you think?" I asked.

Dudley stood, running a hand through his chin before he got into a short pace. "Do you want to return to Hogwarts?" he asked.

I didn't even think about it. "Yes." Dudley made to speak before a hand on my part stopped him. Why did I want to be here? Beyond everything else why do I want to be here?

My emotions were shifting, closer to the surface and when I finally pinpointed them it was a large amount of anger. It was mine but there was also something else. It was magnified to a point where it shouldn't have with all the work I'd gone through with my barriers.

Something was going on with me and with everything that had happened before it was a kneejerk reaction to think it was Voldemort.

Was this me or him? Or was it the both of us? Voldemort and I shared that similarity, that we thought of Hogwarts as home. Now we were being forced out of our home and both of us couldn't have that.

Was it smarter to be here? To continue that link with Voldemort? Perhaps even increase the hold he had on me?

But he was a resource. Over and over I'd been betrayed. I had thought before that I could play these games, outsmart them but I really couldn't. I was out of my depths, but unlike the others who weren't willing to participate, I seemed to be stuck in the middle of it all and whether it was my fault or not, that didn't matter.

I could use him much like Su was using him. She was stronger than she'd been before, smarter and she was off doing Merlin knows what. The same could be said for me. I could be stronger, smarter, able to play the games I hadn't known were important. I could finally have value.

I took a breath and closed my eyes, pushing myself into my own mind. It was as it always was, King's Cross Station except cleaner and sitting on one of the benches was an ugly looking toddler, cancerous growths over all of his body and as he turned his head there were red, shaped like that of snake.

"Hello, Tom," I said and the toddler grinned, a smile that was filled with too many teeth, all of the sharpened.

"Took you long enough," said Tom, voice raspy with age and yet child-like. "I had started to fear that I would need to be more over to get your attention."

"You've been trying to get my attention?" I said, walking closer but staying a distance away. I noticed that I was clothed this time around, and as I felt the sudden danger coming from the thing in front of me, I felt the weight of my wand in my hand.

"Yes," said Tom. He looked around, hopping off his seat and starting at an awkward walk around me. I felt my wand almost vibrate, preparing for a fight but Tom stopped, looking at me and grinned. "I'm not going to attack you, Harry," he said. "Even if I did, which I don't, the magic protecting you is too strong."

He took a step forward and his skin started turning a bright pink, smoke coming off of it as more growths appearing as he rapidly healed.

"To even be like that you must have been trying quite a bit to attack me," I said.

"As I said, I have been trying to get your attention." Tom chuckled. "Though I did try to attack you when I felt the magic starting to wane. Alas, Lily's protection are still strongly tied to you."

Something in me snapped as he said my mother's name. I brought up my wand but before I could even think about a spell, a thin white light spread outwards. Tom was pushed off his feet and thrown in the far off distance, his skin smouldering.

"Don't you say her name," I said, my voice seething with anger as I got closer. He was healed, more cancerous growths but he was also getting bigger, hairs growing on him and the baby fat starting to give away.

In the span of seconds he'd gone from being a toddler to be an prepubescent.

"Your feeding off of my anger," I said, realisation spearing through.

Tom let out a throaty laugh. "I'm feeding off of your emotions," he said. "I have been for a while. Working inside your mind to increase my link to you. Earn a peek at the outside world."

"You're making me wonder why you were trying to get my attention in the first place in all of this," I said. "Because you could have continued your work, maybe even gotten enough sway to take me over."

"That was the long game," said Tom. "But you've recently forced my hand. You're trying to kill me, Harry." He was on his feet, looking at me before he chuckled again. "But you're not going to succeed."

"Is that so?" I muttered.

"Among other things," he said. "I have a link to your memories. You really are shoddy where Occlumency is concerned Harry and you should start walking on that. And I've been watching. It's what I did for that first month. Got the run down on you and the failing magic. I know how I was defeated in your timeline and its very unlikely that will ever happened again."

Tom started walking again, but this time it was with a grace to him. There was a confidence to him, passing through the air, almost palpable. By the same link that he had to me and my emotions, I was getting some of his emotions.

Why, though? There had to be something more to this. The confidence to it all. I pushed my mind and screens appeared, playing through memories: Su able to feel me and my nature, not wanting to be close to me; Quirrell having the same feeling, even going so far as to feel the Horcrux I'd help.

I hadn't thought about it all, then, but now it was more and more sense. Tom had been active from the beginning and he'd been communicating with the others. I felt the a roar at the edge of my hearing and pushed it all down. To feel anger was to give him strength.

"What do you want, Tom?" I asked, feeling a hint of resignation.

One more hit against my psyche when already I was at a low.

"To help you," he said.

I snorted at that. "Yeah, right. What do you really want?"

"To live in a capacity," he said and the emotion running through him made me believe the words. "Any capacity because even with all of the work I've been doing I'm losing."

"Where do I factor into all of this?" I asked.

"You're my path towards that," he said. "I want what Su and that portion of me have. I assume that I'll have the raw portion of the deal with how uneven everything is. But I will live in whatever capacity," he said. "And you'll get something out of this too… You'll be _their_ equal."

 _Yes,_ I thought for a millisecond and before I could take it back it was over and King's Cross was empty with me being the sole inhabitant.

"Fuck me what have I done."

888

AN: This is not a Deus/Diabolus ex machina, at least I'm hoping. I think I've sufficiently foreshadowed that something like this could happen. If I'm remembering right all the pieces were there. This might be clichéd, the whole Harry-Tom thing, but I'm hoping that the direction I take it will be new.


	49. Chapter 49

6-02

"Harry?" Dudley was saying his voice filled with concern and eyes reflecting the same emotion. He was standing, shoulders tensed in his non-motion. He eased a little when I really looked at him. "You've been gone for the last thirty minutes. Lost in thought."

"Have I?" I said, feeling a pit in my stomach. I didn't feel an overt differences, that I was a different person, but my subconscious mind had betrayed me and accepted Tom's offer. Now I was an amalgam, with whatever pros and cons that brought with it.

"You were answering whether or not you wanted to return to Hogwarts," he said. "Before you got lost."

I nodded, remembering. I looked up and towards the left. There were too many trees and they were too clumped too closely for me to see the castle, but I knew it was in the direction. Even now, even with the whole deal with the devil I'd just made, I still wanted to return to Hogwarts because it was my home for the longest time.

"Hogwarts is my home," I told Dudley. "What the Society has done has effectively kicked me out of my home. Leaving me wondering in the streets. They've left me with the easier path being to leave. But I don't want that."

"Okay," said Dudley, his eyes working as he settled into a pace again.

I noticed that I hadn't told him what had happened. Hadn't even considered the option when Dudley was one of the people I trusted above all else. Was that because of the effect of the merge or was it something else? Was it even possible that I would notice if I was doing anything different because of the merge?

 _Stop that, Harry,_ I thought to myself. _Right now it's unproductive._

What was important right now was figuring things out. It worked better if I had just one objective and it was clearly defined: I want to return to Hogwarts with as little a mess a possible.

Which meant that the Ministry couldn't be after me. Which meant that at least publicly I had to distance myself from Dumbledore. It had seemed like a good idea at first, using the matter of training from Dumbledore to explain away how I could be so mentally mature. But now it was coming to bite me in the butt.

I ran a hand through my chin, feeling the burgeoning thoughts: How I would deal with Dumbledore? What I would tell people if a change ever was apparent? How I would deal with the Society and what it had done to me. But I took a deep breath, pushing the thoughts away and focusing solely on what I wanted to happen.

I wanted to clean up the mess, which meant I would have to play the system.

"Tell me what happened," said Dudley coming to a stop and looking at me. "If you want to come back, then the Ministry needs to not arrest you the first moment you show up. Because the Headmistress doesn't have the clout to stop that."

I ran a hand through my hair, pushing towards remembering. "They caught me off guard," I said. "They had some sort of spell layered on the ground to redirect Apparition. They knew I'd call Dumbledore for help and used that against me, calling him in and having the two of us fight the Aurors and escape. Only it wasn't me," I said.

"They used a golem," said Dudley. "Now the question is, did Dumbledore leave with it or did he spot the deception and leave it behind?"

I could see his thread of thought spreading outwards, I could almost predict the direction he would be taking things. "If it's the former, things are harder for us," I said. "We'll have to think of something else. Some way to distance me from everything. But if it's the latter then we might have a viable route. The Ministry will have found the thing, tested it and seen its not me."

"Not if they don't want to lose face," said Dudley. "The more politically minded citizens know what's going on. How they went from casting a darker light to you one moment before, quite conveniently, spotting you communicating with Dumbledore. If anything that makes things a little harder because Fudge might be willing to pull strings to make sure it looks like you were really there."

I grinned a little. "Good thing for us that Fudge doesn't head the Wizengamot," I said. "Even so I need another layer of protection. I was thinking distancing myself from Dumbledore. Making it so it seemed like he kidnapped me or something to that effect and then me escaping."

"Or we could just work the narrative so that it seems like this is Voldemort's doing," said Dudley. "Or Su, or whatever. They've been trying to attack Dumbledore's status from the beginning and we can use that pattern for something credible."

That made more sense and I was wondering why my thoughts hadn't jumped in that direction. I took a breath and closed my eyes, quickly going through the memories which featured Dumbledore in the centre stage, looking in particular and the emotional colouring of it all. There was a resentment there and though I wanted to think it was Tom's it was mine, my thoughts took a darker edge with realisations I'd tried to push back.

How he hadn't trained me to fight Tom, instead my victories being of large amount of luck and my friends. All the people who'd died because the gravity of the war hadn't been really taken seriously and how everything had gone to hell when Dumbledore had died. We'd depended too much on one man, too much on him protecting the rest of us and when he'd died, everything had fallen apart.

I had to take another breath, pushing the incoming flood of emotions back. I could already tell the difference between now and then, how I saw things now versus before the merge and though it was helping in sorting out this mess, I really didn't like how close to the surface my emotions were.

"How do we go about it though?" Dudley muttered. He was still pacing, not looking at me, deep in thought.

"Attack me," I said. He stopped at that. "Curse me enough that I need magical attention and then I Apparate to the Longbottom Estate. The amount of strings Fudge can pull in that regard are limited, at least."

"They'd surely question you," said Dudley. "Mental questioning too along with Veritaserum."

"I know," I said. "And I think I can work around that. A week in the least and I can structure another layer of barriers, in the space between the two, littering memories of the life they'll expect while hiding everything else. And there's also the quasi-Fidelius at work to make things smoother where time travel is concerned."

Dudley nodded. "It could work," he said. "But this is all while thinking that Dumbledore didn't take the golem. If he did, we'll have to restructure how we deal with this. Though we could still work with the outlines of the plan."

I gave him a nod, standing and feeling my muscles groan. "I'll be in Grimmauld Place for the week until I have my memories sorted," I told him. "I'll communicate to you through the mirror? My door will allow you in and Hermione too, if you'd change the warding for me. I really don't want her going through my stuff."

Dudley nodded. I didn't think about it. I moved forward and gave him a hug, feeling as went rigid before he eased.

"Stay safe in there," I told him. "I think it goes without saying at this point that the only people we can trust in there are each other."

"I know," he said and he let out a breath, returning the hug. "And I will. Things won't go as easily for the Society like before."

"You can make it back to the castle?" I asked and he nodded.

"Justin and Lily aren't too far away, they're making sure no one jumps me," he said.

"I'll be leaving then," I said. "See you in a week." We shared one last nod before I turned on the spot, being pulled through the tube and being deposited in front Grimmauld; Aunt Petunia and Remus were waiting for me just outside, and for the first time since this had all happened I was happy.

888

"Good a plan as any, I suppose," said Mad Eye after taking a sniff of the strip of bacon Aunt Petunia had prepared and then taking a bite. "But we'd have to first ensure that your theories are true."

"It should take a few days," said Dumbledore, slowly eating his own breakfast. "Unfortunately we don't have anyone in the Order who's working on the case, but Aurors do share information. I'll have Kingsley working on the matter."

"Which would leave Lady Longbottom," said Moody. "You sure are putting a lot of faith in her. Especially after what her grandchild did to you."

"It's why we got her in the position in the first place," I said. "Why _I_ got her in the position. And I don't think Lady Longbottom and Neville are working towards the same ends. But then I really don't trust my instincts right now."

"Nonetheless it's a risk worth taking," said Dumbledore. "At least if we want Harry to return to Hogwarts."

"Why are you returning there in the first place?" Moody asked, voice gruff. "With you here we could greater focus on our efforts in dealing with the Voldemorts."

"No," said Aunt Petunia, vehemently shaking her head. "I know you're an adult, Harry. But, your mother wouldn't want this sort of life for her son. She'd want you to be something beyond a war survivor. He needs his education."

"I agree with Aunt Petunia," I said. "Might help this time actually finish my schooling years. Before that, though. Aunt Petunia, could you take me to our optometrist? I might need a few extra glasses made from specific frames."

"Madam Pomfrey told me about this," she said. "I was about to cancel it after…" She took a breath and stopped before she shook her head. "I'll have to set up another appointment. You thinking you might get attacked again?" she asked, her voice terse.

"I'm going to work on my glasses. Ensure that I always have a few sensory spells running on them. Constant Vigilance and all that."

Moody snorted. "Not enough if you asked me," he said. "In your position I would have all my clothes decked out with protections. Have an extra wand. Not drink anything anyone has given me and, among many more, not walk around with known enemies."

"Alas, we're not all as asocial as you, Alastor," said Dumbledore, with a hint of amusement in his voice. Moody just grunted.

There was quiet for a while as we went about our respective meals, all of us looking lost in thought in some fashion or another. Dumbledore had done a lot of work on the house the two days I'd been missing, extending the spells that made sure the curse didn't hold within his room to the entire house, something that made working much easier. Thinking on it, it was really scary the amount of knowledge that Dumbledore had under his belt, and how hard it would be to ever defeat him.

I stopped that thread of thought before it could continue. It was happening more and more lately, starting to think of Dumbledore as a hypothetical enemy. Something I didn't like because it was more likely that I would do something stupid.

How good an idea would it be to tell him what I'd done.

 _Very bad,_ I thought.

How bad an idea would it be not to tell him what I'd done, only for him to find out in the future?

 _Worse that very bad._

It made more sense to tell him and after breakfast I'd tell him what I'd done.

888

AN: Going to start moving spanning months pretty quickly throughout this arc. To all the people who enjoyed the slow pacing, you have been warned.


	50. Chapter 50

6-03

It was easier thinking of doing something than actually doing it. I'd planned to tell Dumbledore about what I'd done after breakfast, but I'd procrastinated. Instead of doing that I'd gone through the menial task of washing the dishes with Aunt Petunia, chatting over how her latest book was going and how she was dealing with the disruptions to her schedule.

Then I'd gone to my assigned room when Aunt Petunia had returned to her house and started working on my mind. I spent three hours forming new shields, closer to the metaphorical centre of my mind where my core memories were. It was surprisingly easier than it should have been, ordering my mind so that the core concepts of what made me _me,_ were inside that small space.

Then I'd built up a layer, making sure there was enough concentration spread out on all parts that one part wasn't weaker than the other. Then it was making another shield and then another and then six more before the process was done. After which it would be a factor of time, with the mental barriers being stronger the longer they stood.

I could have started working on the memories, making them vivid and layering them with the deceptions that would no doubt be needed but after three hours I was feeling a little tired. When I went down to the kitchen to make myself something to eat Remus was there, having returned from a Wizengamot meeting.

"I didn't know you were a member of the Wizengamot," I said as we ate our lunch. "Is that new? It wasn't in either of the papers."

Remus snorted. "I doubt I'll see that day in my lifetime," he said. "Titles seem to be stripped when one becomes a werewolf. But with the climate changing, future generations will not have to face this."

"Then why were you at the Ministry?" I asked.

"I was speaking to everyone, alleviating their concerns," he said. "In two weeks it will be the first full moon since the term has started. They want to go over the precautions I've taken so that Lily won't hurt or turn anyone. I have to do the same with the school governing body in fifteen minutes. What about you? I hope this isn't too boring?"

I shook my head. "The working on my mind is keeping me busy," I said. "Where's Dumbledore? I missed him when he was leaving."

Remus paled a little at that. "Off looking for Abeforth again," said Remus with a sigh. "It's become a great focus as of late. I think even above and beyond making sense of what's been happening the past while."

I felt my stomach twist and turn, a pit of unease settling. It was so easy to forget about all the _bad_ while focusing on the future and what I wanted to achieve. Hagrid was still implicated as a murderer, Dumbledore was still seen as a villain, Su and Voldemort were still out there making their moves and there was still Draco's family to think off.

All at once it occurred to me that I hadn't actually achieved anything through the past few weeks, that the others had successes under their belt while I, as usual, only had success in the fact that I was helped by others; either Dudley or Divina. On the other hand the Society had spread out a wide network even with the Unspeakable and probably the Ministry.

The resentment, I realised, was directed inward. I'd been weak and I was still weak.

Remus left at some point during the day and I was left alone again.

I had to do _something._ It was bad to be driven by emotions but the sense of creating something appealed to me. To achieve greatness of my own merit instead of using it through others. In my timeline I'd become head of the Auror Corps, but when I traced that back it was more to do with my perceived successes and any actual successes.

I wanted to add this into my goal list but I was finding my mind loved setting up goals lately—since the merge—and it was easy to think I could get lost in it all. I had to make this manageable, ensure that I could still do the things I wanted to do without getting lost in it all.

For forty-five minutes I prepared my mind for this task, priming it.

Aunt Petunia returned and started setting up for dinner. Other people started arriving, members of the Order of the Phoenix and people from various fields. Many of them started when they saw me, going through the ordinary processes of being awestruck, wanting to shake my hand and thanking me for what I'd done.

More resentment and it was still drawn inwards. I hadn't done anything, my mother and father had done something, _they_ had done something because they'd actively fought Dumbledore. Memories of me the past month flickered through my mind, the bravado I'd felt in tackling issues, all of it with the mental image of Voldemort's defeater. I'd believed my own hype too much, forgetting how I really was, who I really was and what I'd actually done.

More people arrived, even faces I recognised though they didn't recognise me in the same level. Mr and Mrs Weasley, Cedric's parents, Daphne's mother and a whole host of others. Dumbledore was the last to arrive and he took a seat at the head of the table.

I was quiet through it all, listening to the reports. An Auror reporting on a trail of strange murders through Wales, they seemed random but a few of the people dead had been the human guards of Azkaban. The woman speculated that the murders might be a try at hiding that particular information.

Another man working for the Daily Prophet said there was going to be another story concerning me. An account from a few students in Hogwarts saying that I'd attacked them. I felt a pit because that would be another mark against me, making it harder for the act to work.

The third person was a thin woman with greying hair, the receptionist of the Wizarding Herald.

"I still haven't seen who's heading the place," she said. "But they're never at the office. We've got a system set up with files just appearing on my drop box and Patronii fly into the main office to speak with my boss."

In the small lull I asked, "Why are you looking for the owner of the Herald?"

There was silence at that, with the eyes of the majority moving to Dumbledore. I didn't think they'd actually thought I would speak at any point during the meeting.

"They might be an ally," said Dumbledore. "I'm looking to recruit them into the Order. The information they've been able to get is leagues above anything we've been able to get especially in the small period of time. They might be invaluable at that."

"Okay," I said and the dissemination of information returned, though this time Dumbledore and Moody were looking at me with intelligent twinkles in both their eyes.

An hour and people started filing out, some taking the moment to thank me again which only made me feel worse.

"You'll have to watch out for her," I said when everyone had left with only Dumbledore and Moody left in the room with me. "Hermione isn't going to open herself up to that. I'm sure she's got some spell in the works that'll turn the tide in her favour."

"She did," said Moody. "Had Mavis cursed to the point that we couldn't get anything from her."

"Ms Granger?" said Dumbledore. "I hadn't though she would be the one. She was rather quiet in the week I had time to watch all of you."

"It's always the quiet ones," said Moody. "I should be off. The Unspeakables want to talk to me. I think they've cottoned on to the fact of you and yours' cursed them."

"That's worrying," I said. "But we knew it was only a matter of time." I sighed. "I think I'll be heading for bed."

I realised as I walked up the stairs that that could have been the moment I'd told him but I didn't. I was too scared. I was too weak.

888

My mind seemed geared towards setting up goals. I was scared that I'd lose myself within them and that was the main problem.

My solution to all this was setting up degrees. I had to have a larger objective, longer in term than all the others. That would be the primary. Then there would be the secondary objectives, two at most, medium term and they would work towards helping me achieve the long term objective, even if indirectly. Then three tertiary goals to each secondary, which would be shorter term, comprised of small pieces.

All of this forced me to think: What do I want in the long term?

Two hours passed, tossing and turning on my bed before the answer came to me: I want to go to back to my family but with the people who'd died before. I wanted the good of this timeline and also the good of my own.

I didn't like this because it was too broad, too ambiguous. I had to restrict it.

What do I want when I've put it simply? It was harder to conceptualise because I was dealing with space-time. There were two versions of people and some of them that didn't exist.

I didn't want this world's Ginny, but I wanted my own. I wanted my Ron and my Hermione and my Neville and my Seamus. Even though I liked this Dudley I also wanted my Dudley because he definitely wasn't like this one and though we didn't get along for the most part, he still had his redeeming qualities.

What I wanted seemed impossible because in one word I wanted to merge the properties of the timelines. Was that even possible?

With that question how I looked at everything changed. Before I could even thinking about that objective I would need to learn all that I could about the nature of magic, time magic in particular. And the best way to do that would be to have an in with the Department of Mysteries.

That was the long term objective then: Head the Department of Mysteries.

The next would be shorter term objectives, which came down to the how of getting to the Department of Mysteries. I needed to be employed there which also meant that I had to research how that actually happened. I'd been Head of the Auror Corps and hadn't known anything about that sect of the Ministry which meant that wasn't the path to take.

Did it lie in being Minister of Magic?

That would be one of the medium term objectives: Becoming Minster of Magic.

And three of its short term objective were returning to Hogwarts and completing my schooling career, undoing the damage the Ministry was doing to my reputation and becoming a paragon.

Thinking on that matter to aid my rise I would have to have raise returning to Hogwarts as a secondary objective, which meant I could allot it three tertiary objectives in the how of getting it done. The tertiary objectives of becoming Minister of Magic were momentarily set aside, deciding it was smarter to play them by ear.

Right now I had to focus on the greater plan of getting back to Hogwarts.

There was already a plan in the motion but we hadn't heard anything from Kingsley yet. Which meant there really was the chance that mine and Dudley's plan wouldn't work. Which meant I would have to make it work.

We were pushing the idea that there was a golem in play. So I would have to make it so that those thoughts rose to the surface quicker to Aurors and others.

I would have to build a golem.


	51. Chapter 51

6-05

It was the next morning that I realised that it was hard creating a golem. All of this in large part because I didn't entirely know the how of building it. Which meant adding another small objective which would hopefully be done by day's end.

Golems weren't truly dark magic. They didn't hurt anyone by their innate nature, but more often than not they were used for evil purposes. Which meant that magic where golems were concerned was heavily restricted, information about it even more so. Harry had had a golem made for him at one point when a credible assassination tip had been levelled in his direction. The thing had, unfortunately, been hurt, but the person responsible had been caught.

The point being, the golem had been built for me.

Looking back at the past me, before the merge. I found that I didn't particularly liked myself. I hadn't been curious to the greater workings of the world, only focusing on the small bubble that I considered my life.

The same could be said even now. I was only thinking about how to create golems because it would help me move my plans forward.

I took a breath, pushing back the thoughts and emotions that were getting in my way. I was quiet through breakfast, making small talk with the others when I had to before they left to their tasks. Aunt Petunia spent a little longer today but eventually she had to leave, there was a cover to keep on her part from the watch that was undoubtedly on her by Aurors.

Three hours were spent looking over the mental barriers and then putting forward the first layer of memories. They were easier, using stuff that was already in my mind that I didn't need to hide. Childhood memories heavily in line with things Aunt Petunia had told me about: Going to the zoo, first discovering the I was a Parseltongue and even the blurry memory of my vampire uncle trying and failing to attack me.

After I was done, I started working on the plan of getting the materials that would be required to make a golem. It would have been easier to ask Dumbledore for the materials or tell him about the plan, but I needed to do something on my own. To know I could achieve something using my own skill, my own intellect.

A part of me thought that it was hypocritical to think that I could ever do anything on my own when I had merged with Tom. But try as I might, I didn't really feel like the two of us were different personalities, that there was a part of Tom's soul in me. I'd searched my memories and I hadn't found anything resembling the memories of Tom Riddle or extra knowledge I could account for.

It was just that I was different. My emotions were closer to the surface but they could be supressed easier. And though I hadn't tested it, I felt like connections between thoughts came faster.

That I was a little smarter.

I pushed the stream of thoughts aside and focused. I needed books, but that would be a little hard to with me being a wanted criminal. I could achieve it though.

The problem was what I looked like. I could transfigure myself, but I didn't doubt that there would be Aurors in Diagon and Knockturn Alley and they might have methods to see through a transfigured person. But there was something of a workaround where Animagi were concerned. They were a lot harder to track and a little harder to detransfigure.

I could write a note with supplies and pick them up in my owl form in the stores in Knockturn Alley. It would be a little hard because there was the chance that some of the storekeepers wouldn't go through with the orders, only taking the money, but I hoped they were smart enough to realise the people they dealt with and take caution not to piss them off.

Before the more impulsive part of me could rear up I chose to plan contingencies instead. It would mean putting off everything until tomorrow but in the meanwhile I could be getting money. Publicly, the Goblins couldn't accept a criminal to draw money from them, but practically they kept people's wealth safe but didn't restrict them from withdrawing it.

I was still alone and there would be no greater time to act than now. I went downstairs to the study and drew out a letter. Making it known that this the owl was mine and that it was to be led to my vault. The vault key was even tied around my neck, and enchantment on the lace that would ensure thread transferred a curse over the key without me having to directly apply magic on the key and a Portkey spell on the thread, activated if the thread left my neck without me being either in Gringotts or Grimmauld.

It was a little surprising how smoothly the entire thing went.

Flying from the house to Gringotts without being stopped. I had to stop at one point to look for the direction of the owl entrance but when I found it and landed in front of a Goblin woman, she just look at me for a long moment before she pointed towards and podium with a Goblin beyond and returned to sorting letters and envelopes.

I flew in the direction of the Goblin and landed in front of him. For a minute he looked at me before he said, "Follow me," and started walking off towards the back.

"You can change back to your regular form now," the Goblin said and he took a few steps away from me. I flew back a little and changed, landing with an amount of grace seeing as I'd changed form in the air enough that my body was starting to get practised.

"If you'll follow me to your vault, Mr Potter," the Goblin said, voice a bored monotone.

From there it was as it regularly went. I was escorted to my vault, even given a small bag to store my gold. I fastened the thing on the thread around my neck before flying out of Gringotts and heading over to a section of buildings and transforming back to my human form. With my luck the last few weeks, I was still on the lookout for an attack, this, all of it, seemed to quiet, but fortunately there was none and I successfully Apparated to the front step of Grimmauld.

Remus was there and the moment I was in the house he let out a visible breath of relief.

"Harry," he said. "Where in Merlin's name were you? I was starting to get worried."

"I went over to Gringotts," I said, taking off the thread around my neck and unravelling both the key and the small bag. "I'm going to need money for a few things. Plans I'm running."

"Plans? What plans?" the man asked.

I waved him off. "It's nothing to worry about. Just contingencies to ensure that I can return to Hogwarts."

Remus let out another breath, this one filled with a hint of exasperation. I could see the way his features worked that even with everything he still looked at me like a child, and I didn't know if that was because of the spell or an innate feature of Remus I'd never noticed before.

"I get that you really want to return to Hogwarts, Harry," he started, his tone slow and genial. It irritated me. "But you have to realise how dangerous that is to be out there with the present climate."

I felt the urge to let out a sigh but I held it back. It would be bad in the grander scheme. The why was hard to discern, but seeming ungrateful often rubbed a person the wrong way.

"I know, Remus, and I've taken appropriate measures to make sure I wouldn't be captured," I said. I showed him the thread. "This is bewitched to be a Portkey. Just in case anything happened to me and it's primed towards a certain locations and sound."

"Right. Right," said Remus, running a hand through his hair. "It's easy to forget sometimes how old you are." He let out another sigh. "I'd be careful, though, of that particular method because it's only a matter of time before policy changes and there's a greater restriction on Portkey travel."

"You don't think the Wizengamot would actually let a vote like that go through, right?" I asked. "I get that it's needed. Magic makes travel particularly easy. But isn't that one of the fundamental rights that a person has?"

Remus chuckled. "How you can be so old at times and yet be so naïve is beyond me," he said. "Look closely, Harry, and tell me if you believe what you just said. The political climate favours senior Ministry workers and old families. If this negatively affects their interests, then it has a greater chance of being stopped. But as is…" He shrugged. "There are too many plots in the air to reliably estimate anything."

"Right. Right," I said. Food for thought. I didn't know how I might use that in the future but it might be useable. If I was convicted, then there was the chance that my titles would be stripped and I wouldn't have true voting power.

"Are you done for the day?" I asked. "Or are you still going to head out?"

"I'll be staying in Hogwarts for the time being, until the full moon passes," he said. "Just thought I'd check on you. Petunia should be here to prepare dinner."

I nodded at that. "I'll pop into my room real quick for all of this," I said gesturing to the bag. When I returned Remus and I talked over what he planned for the future of werewolf kind, even trying to institute a law that made it illegal to stop someone from working because of their magical speciation.

It was interesting to learn about the major packs that existed in my section of the Wizarding World. In timeline werewolves had mainly hidden themselves, but here there were a total of three town that were made up by a majority of werewolves both muggle and magical.

He had to leave though and not a short while later Aunt Petunia arrived. I changed rooms and helped her as she prepared dinner. There wasn't going to be an Order meeting, but it was always possible that some of them might show up.

"I was thinking contact lenses," said Aunt Petunia. I could hear it from her tone she wasn't particularly comfortable with this particular thread of conversation, but she was resigned to the fact that it was a reality. "Just in case some summons your glasses or some such."

"And now I feel stupid for not having thought of it," I muttered.

"You like the idea?" she said, looking up at me with a tired smile.

"I mean it would be better to get my eyes fixed," I said. "But magic hasn't really tried fixing biological defects. The contacts would be a godsend, making it so I can do more with the actual glasses."

"I talked to Alastor," she continued. "He'll bring us a dose of Polyjuice so we can make it through the day without trouble."

"That's good," I said, inwardly cringing because that could postpone my plans.

There was no helping it however because the next day Aunt Petunia and I went to the Optometrist, posing as mother and son only so far as the doctor's office before the potion wore off. It was surprising how much the Order could do with such a small amount of time because protections had already been set around the place before I arrived.

I got checked and Aunt Petunia was told that the lenses would be ready within a two weeks, but that it suggested that I also have a pair of glasses because the things could get irritating. We didn't really have any other chose to the request and so went ahead, telling the man we'd be hear after two weeks to pick them up. I had to take another gulp of Polyjuice to make it back to Grimmauld.


	52. Chapter 52

6-05

Getting anything done the next day was impossible. Dumbledore still hadn't returned from his travels but he'd had the present of mind to tell Moody about the connection between me and Tom and had tests in mind. We spent a majority of the day in a room with him doing stuff.

A thermometer into my mouth and it stayed there for thirty minutes, he ran a wand over me humming under his breath at points. With a bronze knife he pricked my finger and let the bead of blood drop over an onyx piece of parchment.

Another device came out of his pockets running over him with let out a series of beeps as he ran it over my body, getting louder when he neared my head. He gave another hum, both of his eyes taking me in as he frowned, muttering words I couldn't hear and nodded to himself.

Six hours in total and finally he was done.

"So what is it?" I said, keeping the shakiness out of my voice. "Can you help me with the portion of Tom's soul in me?"

"Don't know yet," said Moody. "I don't have an image of what's going on with you. But I'll be able to figure it out with the Unspeakable's help."

"Is that really wise?" I asked, feeling trepidation filling my stomach. One wrong move and everything could come undone. I'd thought about it, their approach to all of this and I could see their thought process.

They weren't too sure what was going on and from what we'd gotten from Mara, she had just been watching us to make sense of that. Them having me followed was in an effort to gain a greater understanding of the mystery before deciding what they should actually do with it.

"About as wise as you leaving the house," said Moody. I was a little surprised that Remus had told him, but I wasn't particularly disappointed in him. Moody was Dumbledore's right hand man. If Remus couldn't tell Dumbledore about that, then he'd surely tell Moody.

"But as it was with you it's unavoidable," he continued. "You're important to all of this, Potter. To the fight with Dumbledore. We don't need the Department of Mysteries thinking it's a good idea disappearing you. I'll be working on the inside."

"Won't they have spells in effect to stop that?" I asked.

Moody snorted. "I was able to get away unscathed from your curse, didn't I?" said Moody with a scarred grin. "I can do the same with them. Risky though. But knowing the risks is the first part in putting up countermeasures."

He waved his wand and his supplies started packing themselves into a large bag.

"Mad Eye," I said and the man stopped, looking at me. All of his concentration. He'd died before really doing anything in my timeline, but he was legend and it was hard not to be intimidated by that. "I wonder if I might have some Polyjuice. About an hour's worth. There are some supplies I want to buy. Get things easier for my return to Hogwarts."

"Plots brewing, huh?" he said and then snorted. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a small flask, throwing it in my direction. I caught it without much trouble, opening the thing and taking a sniff.

"Scare I might be trying to kill you, Potter?" he said, amusement in his voice.

"No," I said. "I fear that if you were, I'd already be dead. I'm trying to get into your frame of mind."

"My mind is the most sane," he said. "I'd best be off. Things to do. Recruits to get stronger." He started walking off towards the door before he stopped, looking at me. "You're different, Potter."

I felt my face starting to twist but I stopped it, making my features placid. "Different how?" I asked, my words slow with, hopefully, confusion littered in them.

"I think you know," he said. "After these tests, I'll know too." He turned around, fully looking at me. "What I need to know is, do I need to be worried?"

He was being vague. The trouble with being vague was the fact that it was possible he might really know what I didn't want him to know. But that was just as likely that he didn't know and he was trying to bait me.

To lie or not to lie. After the tests it was highly possible that indeed he'd know about the merge. Magical forensics had never been my speciality but I knew people could get a lot from blood and it was greater if they had the person to continually probe. If I lied now it would set a divide between the two of us which might lead to a divide between me and Dumbledore which would greater complicate things.

I'd wanted to tell Dumbledore and it was only the fact that I was scared that stopped me. But just as scary as Dumbledore was, Moody could be more so.

Taking it all in, I didn't know how to react. I didn't know enough about Moody's character to predict what he might do.

The colder part of me didn't know what to do. So I let the emotions I'd been putting down surfaced and I thought of this less on a logical standpoint but on the emotive. Dumbledore trusted Moody and he'd died for me in my previous life. He'd tried to console me with pictures of my parents though that hadn't really worked out.

He was good. He looked out for the greater good and he was cautious enough that he would be able to watch out if I went axe crazy.

"I merged with Tom," I said.

Moody let out a long sigh, looking tired as his hand moved, reaching into the folds of his robes. He pulled out his wand but I'd done the same, getting into a stance and a shielding spell already conjured. That a spell hadn't already landed made me think he wasn't going to attack me.

And indeed he wasn't. He instead conjured a chair a sat heavily on it. "I'm not going to attack you, Potter," he said, his voice hollow. "But this makes things complicated you realise that?"

"I know," I said. "And it wasn't something I actively wanted. Loss after loss made itself known and Tom convinced me that it would be in our best interest if it were one person. Before I realised what I'd made my subconscious had already made the decision and I couldn't reverse it."

Moody was nodding all through this. "Do you feel different? Do you have any new memories?"

"I feel different," I said and sighed. "I'm not sure the full extent yet, but I think my thought process is faster. And no, I don't have any new memories and I've been looking for them while fortifying my mind."

"That's good," he said. "Better than we could have hoped for. Memories means he has a greater hold, that you're more inclined to act like him than the you before. It could be that you just got his proclivity towards learning from all of this."

"Yeah but at a greater expense," I said. "The original Voldemort has a greater foothold on the world."

Moody hummed. "We'll have to rework how he's dealt with in the end," he said.

"We could just jail him," I said. "There aren't many people who deserve Azkaban, but Voldemort's on that list."

"Or a kiss," said Moody. "That would at least take care of his portion of soul. But you're connected to him. It's highly likely that you feel some of the effects of a Dementor through that connection."

"I hadn't thought about that," I said. I thought about conjuring a chair, but that could have been Moody lulling me into a false sense of security. "But the connection isn't active. I've been doing my best in blocking it."

"It's not completely blocked, though, is it?" I shook my head. "That's the problem," he said. "But that's all thinking about the future. We still don't know where he is, don't know where Su Li is. We've got to work on those fronts before thinking too far ahead."

"Will you tell Dumbledore about this?" I asked, feeling years younger.

"Maybe after we find Abeforth," he said. "He doesn't need that right now." I felt a moment's relief at that. "But I'll be watching Potter, making sure you don't turn sociopathic on us."

"I won't," I said. "I should get going before it gets too late. Just in case you see it when you look through my room but I'll be building two maybe three golems. Thinking about shifting the narrative, making it easier to believe when I finally make my appearance."

"Keep it up on your side," said Moody, coming to a stand. "We might think about tearing through your outer shields though before we set this into motion. It will look better for when the go through your mind and it might alleviate my concerns on Voldemort."

After the conversation Moody left just as Aunt Petunia arrived, further forestalling my plans.

"Moody gave me some Polyjuice potion," I told her. "We could explore London."

"Why not," she said. "You'll have to stop by at the house, though. I'm not really supposed to be here."

"I can do that," I said. I summoned a guy's hair from the stoop and drank enough of the swill that it would last for at least three hours. Aunt Petunia and I mostly spent our time shopping, stopping at a restaurant before doing more shopping.

When we arrived back at Grimmauld it was to a message left by Kingsley. It said that he was having trouble getting the files, that Scrimgeour was keeping a tight lid on the case because of all the leaks to the Wizarding Herald. That he would need more time.

It was disappointing but with the narrative I was trying to set the file wouldn't be needed. What would be needed would be the golems being large but still being reasonable. There had to be a reason for a golem to be used at this particular time or the process would take longer.

Before going to sleep that night I worked on my mind again, fortifying the memories of the past before starting on the deception. Painting a picture so that a particular story was told. It was messy and rushed, showing a measure of experience but not enough. It would need to be further fortified before another image would be painted over it, this one cleaner to hide the messy changes.

Dumbledore still hadn't returned the next day, which marked the third day since he'd left. I couldn't help but feel a minute amount of worry at that fact but I pushed it back. Nothing newsworthy had been reported on the Prophet nor the Herald, instead the only thing of worth were growing reports of vampire interference in a country in Africa, with reports of the Egypt moving to take a stand.

That gave me worry a little because I didn't entirely know what was going on which meant I had to trace things back: A report on the Herald of an eleven year old warlord.

"There are more?" I said to Dudley as I stared at the mirror.

"Yes," said Dudley, a bit of fatigue in his voice. "The Society called a meeting the night you were released. I hijacked it, making sure that releasing you became paramount."

I hummed, nodding and running a hand at my chin. "This means we were wrong about what we thought before," I said. "About all this having common threads between me, Dumbledore and Voldemort."

"Not neccesarily," said Dudley. "We're talking about an infinite amount of university, where an infinite series of events might have happened. Anything could have very well happened."

"Which adds more to the mystery than it answers, honestly," I said. "We have an infinite series of events and yet we're so restricted in how this played out. What about the people who were born in our place because of different sperm cells or eggs? What about the timelines were our parents decided later to have kids and we had other brothers or sisters?

"Where we're dealing with the infinite, then things should have been wildly different. And yet they aren't?"

"Not my area of expertise, Harry," said Dudley with a shrug. "Questions like that are something the Society is no doubt dealing with."

"You don't have an in with them?" I asked.

Dudley shook his head. "I've been working on different means. Recruiting further than just the people time travellers. I'm looking towards the future, in case war breaks out. We don't have time to be recruiting then."

"That's good," I said.

"How are things working out on your end?" he asked. "Hope you aren't going stir-crazy."

"I'm keeping busy," I said. "I'll be going out today getting some supplies to build a golem. Setting the narrative. I've discussed it with Moody and he thinks the rough idea is good. Haven't worked out the nitty gritty yet."

"Good you're keeping busy," he said. "Aurors tried to gain access to your room last night. I heard three of them landed in the hospital. There's rumour that they're breaking in Ward Breakers."

"You'll need to sneak in there," I said. "Voldemort's father's bones are in there. I hadn't found the time to burn them yet."

"The room's being watched," said Dudley. "But I'll see what I can do. How much faith do you have on your wards?"

"A lot," I said. "I was Head Auror, that jobs lends itself to being able to make wards. I have to go, I've still contingencies to set before I go out."

"Sure," said Dudley. "Stay safe."

The image blinked off.

The hard part of all this was working through the Trace. The moment that any magic was performed around me in Knockturn I would have Aurors on me. Not to mention the fact that there would be Knockturn's own dangers: Between people scoping it out for targets and Aurors it was highly probable that a fight would occur, which meant I had to be able to book it quite quickly.

Apparition wasn't the answer much though I liked it. I still didn't know what the Society had done to aim my destination in a particular point but it was highly possible that someone could already replicate it.

Portkeys were safer, but what Remus had told me ringed at the back of my mind. Stricter wards were in the talks of being put in place and it was possible that there shady activities already making this a reality.

888

Getting things done took much of the day. It was more the thinking than the enchantments. I had to run through what was most likely to happen and set up pre-prepared spells so the Trace wouldn't be set off.

The first thing was setting up an ever active Human Revealment Charm on my glasses. It would wear on the material of the glasses, but I wouldn't be using the charms long enough to actually damage it. Then there were the grenades. Flash and darkness grenades, multiple Portkeys just in case they could be tracked, each further than the other while still staying in England.

With that done, I summoned some hair, roving through ancient looking robes that had belonged to Sirius' mother and got some magical protection on them before I set off, flying part of the way before taking the Night Bus to Knockturn Alley. Stan gave me a look, no doubt questions running through his mind but he didn't actually ask them.

I could already spot people sulking in the shadows, most of them unseen when I took off my glasses. There was a large chance that some of them might be Aurors, which would complicate things.

I got a few strange looks as I walked, scanning the people in the shadows, even one man who was moving with a drunkenly jaunt. He got too close to me and even as I tried to move out of the way he bumped into me. My protection enchantments didn't activate, which meant that it was nothing but a bump, even so I moved with more caution, trying to keep away from the crowd.

An apothecary was my first stop. Getting a large flask of Polyjuice potion, something which cost a pretty penny, some Invigoration Draught, a Blood Replenishing Potion and healing potion that could promote cell growth and worked in making healing quicker.

The next stop was a book store. I spoke to the store owner and quite quickly he got me the books I needed. He even talked me into ordering the supplies I would need for a golem from his store.

"I can get them to you in two days at most," the man said.

"I'll be back to order them," said Harry before he walked off. He checked and there were less people on the streets.

I walked further inward, towards some of the homes in the place and reached into my pocket. I let a grenade drop and the thing cracked against the ground, letting a flood of darkness flood around me and instantly running through the alleys. I started running, moving in one direction while seeing movements through the rooftops. The wizards chasing after me seemed agile enough.

Pulling more grenades out of my pockets I threw them in different directions, more darkness filling out the air. There were people in this street, the sounds of screaming filtering through as they lay on the ground in the foetal position.

"Evanesco!" I heard shouted from above me and looking back a section of the darkness gave way to light.

It would only be a matter of minutes before Aurors arrived to investigate, much sooner if they were on their game. I changed direction before shifting forms, flapping my wings and flying through the darkness, the spells' effect still on my eyes.

I couldn't fly out of the darkness because that would be as sign as any that I was an Animagus, which would mean greater scrutiny on owls. I let out a series of hoots, a short pattern before the pull activated and I appeared where I'd started. I landed on the roof of a house and watched my darkness three streets over, rising further into the sky.

Going in the opposite direction, I flew off until I was out of the Alley and in London. Another series of hoots and I was pulled by the hook and deposited in a large forest. I shifted back to my human form and was about to pull at a thread at my wrist when there were a series of cracks.

Seven people in all and they were already moving. They were tracking me.

I pulled the thread as a spell hurtled in my direction, disappearing and appearing in the city again, closer to Grimmauld. I started running, it was later in the day but there were still enough people around that magical use would be limited.

People looked at me strangely, no doubt because of the robes I wore but I didn't care. I heard the cracks from the alley and saw three men coming out before they disappeared back into the alley. No doubt they would be scouting from above, but this was time to think.

They could track me. But a spell hadn't been used or my shields would have activated. I ran my mind through it all and the answer came quickly, I reached out, feeling out all the objects until I found something that didn't belong, a small coin.

I found and alley and that was relatively empty while pulling off one of my bands. There was a crack as a witch appeared and someone screamed from the streets beyond. I pulled the band before a spell could be fired and disappeared, appearing just outside Godric's Hollow. I dropped the band and pulled on the last of my bands, appearing and turning on the spot, appearing at the foot of Grimmauld.

I let out a breath. I'd have to be even more careful when I was going to pick up my supplies.


	53. Chapter 53

6-06

I had contact lenses which meant I could do more work on my glasses. Using Gringotts as my proxy I got the required glasses, Goblin grade steel and glass that looked identical to my glasses and with them I split my time between my mind, my body, my plans and crafting the enchantments I wanted on my spells.

Every time we got the chance to, Aunt Petunia and I went out, even taking trips to the theatre and the cinema. The next day I had to worry about Knockturn again, though this time chose to work better, choosing instead to pose as an owl with a letter and changing form when I was in the shop.

It didn't work too well because a spell was shot in my direction as I flew out of Knockturn, even large birds tailing me. As I ran, I started thinking that perhaps the shop owner might have been in cahoots with the people chasing after me, but at this point that wouldn't help.

A series of hoots and I disappeared. I wasn't followed.

I started my work on the golem, my wand doing the work of crafting the Oak blocks into humanoid shapes that met my rough specifications. It was daunting work until I noted my own stupidity, instead of doing the task myself I could enchant an object to do so, I would just have to work out the specifications beforehand which might take a little longer since I didn't know much about working with wood.

While visiting the city with Aunt Petunia I visited a sculpture, consulting him on how he might work with a block of wood to make a sculpture of me and taking his notes on it, even buying some of his tools. Enchanting the tools to work, even the chisel to draw out the inscriptions that would litter the golem took a little more doing but in four hours I was done and I could do other things with my time.

"There's been an attack," said Kingsley that night. It wasn't a full meeting, just myself, Aunt Petunia, Moody and Remus. "Parkinson Manor. Every sign points to Dumbledore."

"You didn't see anything?" asked Moody.

Kingsley shook his head. "But I wasn't there. The moment he broke through the wards the Trace was activated. Aurors arrived to find the Mr and Mrs Parkinson severely hurt though not critical. They're in custody now."

"Have they been questioned yet?" I asked.

"They're being looked over by medics," said Kingsley. "I used the lull to report. Their memories will be looked over when we get the go ahead."

"That's if Su hasn't put up any countermeasures," I said. "She wouldn't have liked it, staying there. It's dangerous. They can be tracked. And the Parkinson knowing could ruin the secrecy they've managed to shroud around themselves."

"I'll tell the others to be careful," said Kingsley. "But I should get back. It's only so long that I can escape notice."

Moody nodded and the man left.

"Dumbledore didn't ask for help," I said, silence had broken between all of us. "He's being reckless."

"He no doubt thinks this is fault," said Moody. "Especially with how his sister died. Not mention the obvious. He's dying and he might want to go out in a blaze of glory."

"That doesn't sound like Dumbledore," said Remus, his voice grave.

"It does, actually," I said. "Dumbledore seems too willing to die most times," there was frustration in my voice as I said this. "How he's dealing with the Voldemort's curse is a sure sign of that. If he wanted, he could be thinking of how to disable the curse, instead he's getting his affairs in order, delegating the most important tasks."

"Or maybe he's tired," said Aunt Petunia. We all looked at her at that. "Dumbledore's fought three wars, and from what he's said Grindewald was a friend of his. At this point he might be tired of it all, wanting to leave it to the younger generation," she said gesturing at me, "and those that take a trill from that atmosphere," this was said with a gesture at Moody.

"That would explain quite the bit, actually," said Moody, his voice of musing. "But Dumbledore isn't what we should be focusing on. He's focusing on finding his brother, which means he'll be emotional, he won't be looking for Su. Potter, you know her best, what do you think she'll be doing?"

"Still in hiding," I said. "She hasn't done much so far because of the very big limitation on her, the same limitation I think many of us went to Hogwarts for."

"The Trace," said Remus.

I nodded. "It really limits the amount of magic we can perform," I said. "And if I were in here position, fearing that one of the more powerful wizards was coming after me, I'd work to put it out of play."

"That's a good start," said Moody. He stood. "I'll start working on that, the rest of you should return to what you were doing. Potter, I'd hurry what you were doing along. Now seems the best time to get things done, Dumbledore attacking the Parkinsons will work in your favour too."

I nodded at that and that night I put more work on my mind. Working in memories that I internally blurry with age, others moved to the point that they had more emotion behind them than actual images. I fortified the internal shield while creating cracks on the outer ones. When moody was testing the effect out he would do more damage which meant I didn't have to focus so much on those.

The enchanted tools were done with drawing out the effigies by morning. Woodworks that had my rough shape but with lines running through them, all the lines rigid and from the large hole were the heart of the heart should be. From my bag I pulled out three large balls filled with small explosions at intervals.

With a breath I punched the first one and my hand passed through. The pain was immense, not the explosions but the effect that the orbs had, taking my blood and leaving me all the weaker for it. I pulled out my hand when the edges of darkness started taking over my vision, sweat lining my forehead and my breath coming out in pants.

I took the Blood Replenishing Potion and almost immediately felt better. I didn't give the effect more time to take hold because I plunged my arm into another of the orbs, repeating the process when I was done with the second orb. When I was done with that I drank another dose of the Blood Replenishing Potion and Invigoration drought.

I placed each of the orbs in their respective effigies and they glowed, the lines filling with colour before they flashed, between one second and another turning into me.

"Thank Merlin that worked without a hitch," I said. Tomorrow would be the harder part, crafting 'wands' that would complete the image I wanted to set. But before then I would have to find out more about what had happened in Parkinson Manor.

The next day Auror Furrow was at base making a report. The Prophet and Herald had already covered the news, both even going into the investigations that were in the works. It seemed the Herald was gradually forcing the prophet to more transparent in an effort to stay relevant. There was even a note within the Daily prophet that a Wizengamot meeting was going to held to establish new legislation to monitor withdrawals and proxy transactions from Gringotts.

"…but we can't see anything," the Auror was saying. "There's word that we'll be asking the Unspeakables for help on the matter. I think, with the way things are going, they might become more active in their dealings."

"Good, good," said Moody. "We'll stay on the watch. Be careful out there."

"I will," the woman said and she started to leave.

"Before you go," I said. "The Parkinson property. Are you done investigating it?"

"No," she said with an amount of confusion on her. "The place is pretty big and we're going slow. An Auror touched something nasty last night, we're not about to make that same mistake again."

"I wonder if you might do something for me," I said, a plan forming. "To help me structure my innocence."

"Of course, Mr Potter," the Auror said and I quite liked that. They weren't my people, but I could use them.

"I created a golem," I told her. "I want it to be found there. It will create enough questions and there's a small chance of it being hidden with the leak existing to the Herald."

The woman looked worried but she nodded. "It will be tricky," she said. "But I think I can do it."

"I'll give you one of the golem," I said. The other I would use to make a public spectacle. We had to charm a bag to fit the thing but that didn't take too much time.

"Do you think it's a good idea returning to Hogwarts with everything that's going on?" Moody asked. "You might be more help out here."

"I doubt that," I said. "Everyone seems to be doing their own thing and it's only so long before I get stir crazy in this place. More so with the Trace."

"And maybe some revenge where the Society's concerned, uh?" Moody asked, a glint in his eye.

"That would be biting off more than I can chew," I told him. "Not mentioning that they're actually working to figuring out this entire mess. At the very least I don't want to do that. It would be nice to show off that they've left me stronger, though, a phoenix story and all that."

"Seems to me like you're getting too stuck in the short term when you could be focusing on the long," said Moody.

"Respectfully, we have different ideas of what the long term is," I said, keeping the tightness out of my voice.

Moody just shrugged. "You should be careful with whatever it is you're doing," he said. "The Unspeakables and I have succeeded is pulling back the effect of your spell."

"That was fast," I said.

"I'm that good," said Moody with a gruff grin. "And I couldn't act otherwise without suspicion."

Moody left and I completed the work on my glasses.


	54. Chapter 54

6-07

I switch out of my bird form, landing with a little stumbled before coming to a stop. The man, on the shorter side with a stocky frame, dark balding hair and even darker eyes stumbled back, reaching into his robes and fumbling to pull out his wand.

"Don't," I said. "It's me. Mundungus' contact."

"Merlin, boy," the man said. He still hadn't pulled out his wand, I noticed, having more grace pulling out a handkerchief than his wand; he wiped his brow with the thing, getting his breathing under control before he spoke again, "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Better to err on the side of caution with the current circumstances," I said. "Did Dung tell you what I needed?"

"He did, he did," the man said. "But I should warn you, I've already taken precautions. If I don't get my money the curse on the parchment takes over and everything is lost," he said. "I've also taken countermeasures in case of my death."

"Good on you, mate," I said, pulling out a bag of gold, handing it over to the man. Much like me, he most likely was under the guise of a borrowed form, for that matter it was just as likely that all of this was an act and he was prepared to pounce if I tried anything.

I leaned on the latter idea more and more as he didn't take the bag filled with gold, instead pulling out his wand and levitating it. He pulled out another bag, this one held in hand and, counting, he transferred the gold from one bag to the other. I didn't let my expression even flicker, instead counting on my second set of countermeasures coming into play.

"It's all here," he said. He pulled out a piece of rolled up parchment and handed it over. I didn't take it, instead running my eyes over the paper. It was what I wanted, a list of locations of all the families that had been associated with Voldemort 'involuntarily' during the war. Though some of the places no doubt had Fidelius Charms, the Ministry had spread out their coordinates far enough that I could infer the general region of hidden properties.

Next I started moving my wand, searching for curses on the piece of parchment. There were none, but the spell told me something.

"This paper has been transfigured," I said. The man nodded. "How can I trust that you haven't warped the text?"

"I'm a professional," the man said. "You can trust that I haven't."

"In any case I have measures too," I said. "Though, unfortunately, my countermeasures are MAD."

"Mutually Assured Destruction?"

I nodded. "I won't tell you more than this. But if three days pass and Dung doesn't contact you, then unfortunately you'll be dead."

"Wait, what?" the man said but I was already gone. It wasn't the entire truth, the potion was something I'd had to ask Snape for in terms of existence and creation. The potion worked like the Draught of Living Death, but it could be dispersed into the air as a gas. From the moment I'd arrived the thing had been gassing the area around me and the man, if he didn't get the antidote then he would fall into a sleep that simulated death.

A message for the next person I worked with that I wasn't to be messed with. The man himself I'd wake up after a year or so. It would ruin his life, but a message had to be sent.

He arrived in the foot of Grimmauld, moving through the empty house. Sirius had sent a message three days ago citing a lead of a band of Goblins that seemed as though they would take the job, finding them was the problem though and the man estimated a month before he returned. With Remus off at Hogwarts and a tighter watch suspected on Aunt Petunia the two were scarce to appear in Grimmauld.

Dumbledore was another matter. The man had appeared once in Grimmauld with blood lining his robes. He'd just called Snape for some potions, calling Moody to have a quick conversation and he'd just left without talking to me. I didn't understand it, but then I couldn't understand the man's mind space at present and predicting him was troublesome.

For all intents and purposes I was alone, no one to talk to, to bounce ideas off of, but in all reality I had the watch…or at least I thought. It wasn't hard to assume this because there were still the people who could disappear even from the Human Revealment Charm. As far as I could figure it they were most likely vampires or beings that didn't register as _human._

I looked over the list as I moved. It hadn't shifted since I'd left but this could be some long deception. The man would start feeling the effects of the thing within the hour, a strong fatigue that took notice and if he went to the healers they would likely think him overworked. More and more at the third day came closer he would feel more tired, feeling more lethargy, enough that he wouldn't be able to move.

The paper that I was looking at disappeared as into thin air. As I'd thought, this was something of a battle of wills, we'd have to see who won in the long run. But in the meanwhile I had the list in my memory, to check if it was true or not, and even if it wasn't plans had been made for someone else to give me the list.

I pulled out my watch. The next meeting would be in six hours, which meant I had the next batch of the potion to look forward to.

Watching over the potion was tedious, but I let my mind drift in the meanwhile, thinking about the future and trying to form more of a path towards my goals. It was bad that there was a lot of scrutiny around me, but at some point I would need to make allies. I wasn't the best at that, but fortunately for me I was in Slytherin, where the ambitious were, if I was friendly enough I would be able to make those allies.

I would also have to find a way of making money. I hadn't dented my vault much during the last week, but it had been enough that I could still see the difference. Which meant that if I wanted to continue operating as my full capacity, then I would need to make those extra bucks.

Time kept moving, my mind running its course while I watched over the potion so that it correctly ran its course. The black market seemed the easiest option, the greatest risk for the greatest reward. Luckily for me I already had some that would be my broker, I just had to find what I was going to sell.

Memories flickered through my mind before the idea came to me. I noted how much time I had before the next stirring and quickly rushed off for the mirror.

"Dudley," I said. The mirror blinked on but I didn't see Dudley's face beyond. When I listened carefully, though, I could hear snoring beyond. I summoned Prongs and sent him to Dudley, the image changed to show a bleary looking Dudley on the other side.

"Harry, what's going on?" he said, rubbing his face.

"You got a field around you?" I asked.

"Yeah," Dudley muttered. "Something wrong? Is everyone alright?"

"Everyone's fine," I said. "I just figured out a way of making money. I'll need you to go searching around the castle for a Vanishing Cabinet. I'll start working on my end."

"Yeah, fine," said Dudley. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Wouldn't it be better that you go now?" Harry asked. "It's not like you'll have time tomorrow."

"I'll figure it out," said Dudley. "I'm going to bed, now. You should do the same, Harry. Goodnight. Off," he said and the image blinked off.

I was probably starting to get stir crazy with how much I was trying to do. But I was moving at a slower pace that I usually would, thinking things through. Every enemy that I earned was because I was hoping to prevent ten more down the line.

I returned to the potion and finished it, ladling the thing into small balls charmed to expel the gas into a steady invisible cloud. That done I went back to my room and completed the work on my glasses, running over the spell concentrations so that they wouldn't overload the metal, keeping an eye out on the capacity of the magic.

The glasses were enchanted with, among other thing, an offensive measure. They were enchanted to let out a thick beam of light that was made up of a concussive force, to an unprotected person it would knock them out without me needing to ratchet the thing up, it would be an entirely different matter to alternate humans. I hadn't had time to test the things, though, but I trusted my abilities in Charms.

An hour before the next meeting before I got a Patronus, a sleek weasel moving through the air.

"You made waves," said Dung's weasel. "I've had five of your appointments pulling out."

I summoned prongs. "Ask him if he's been contacted by the first," I said.

The weasel returned a moment later. "No. He'll probably wait out the three days. Look for help. This will surely give me a bad reputation."

"And I'll pay you," I returned through Prongs. "Let's not discuss this again Dung."

More money he would have to fork out, giving Dung a commission so that the man would tell him of anything interesting going on in the Underworld. It was the same deal that Dung had with Dumbledore, but it didn't hurt to give someone incentive to work for you, and Dung's greatest incentive, fortunately, was money.

"Give me specifics on the ones that cancelled," I said. "Their times."

Dung's weasel returned and listed off the times, I went through my mental list, scratching off the times and seeing how much time I'd have until I was needed somewhere else. There were still three people who wanted to meet with me which spoke more about the amount of work that would have to be put in countermeasures than anything else.

"I'm going out," I said before I left. "Doing something dangerous. I don't know if you're really there or not, but I might need help. This would be a good time for you to appear…"

Nothing happened.

I sighed and started work on the countermeasures I'd set up in advance, summoning objects and sending them moving through the room. The majority of my attention was on a map hovering in front of me while the minority took on other aspects: a small sack hovered closer to my leg and the thread stretched, tying itself around my leg; robes make out of Thestral hide wrapped themselves around me; and my various threads took up positions on my limbs, protection measures.

Using the coordinates I had in my mind I got a firmer image of where I was going and then I started making the Portkeys, the only major difference being the fact that I was adding _a lot_ of height. That done I stepped outside and turned on the spot, appearing in the Forest of Dean for a moment before one of the threads snapped and I was pulled into the sky.

Gravity immediately took effect and I shifted, quickly forming wings that caught the air. I pulled myself up and started a series of short hoots; the bag tied to my leg vibrated before over a myriad of marbles dropped, being carried in random. I waited, keeping myself in one position through massive amount of effort.

Nothing happened.

I scratched out the coordinates in my mind before letting out another pattern. I was pulled and I appeared in the sky again, repeating the process and again nothing happened.

The sixth of the seven coordinates yielded nothing and I was a little relieved that the last did. The marbles detonated, letting out massive amount of black smoke which framed the large invisible bubble of wards.

I swooped lower, skirting to the edges of the bubble and then moving further. It was possible that the very floor itself was cursed and in the long run trees for that matter, there could be all a manner of creatures as well which meant I had to be careful. I entered the trees and wove between branches, at intervals letting out a short sound that made more marbles drop.

They detonated when the hit, earning movement from the trees themselves, branches snapping out towards the source of the disturbance. I continued doing this until I'd rounded the warded property, moving steadily outwards until I reached a place where the protections were no longer in effect. There I allowed myself to land and just roosted.

Six hours in place and nothing happened, not that I was expecting much truth be admitted but I was hopeful. I let out a sigh and running the math in my mind, how fast I'd been flying and the direction to get a set of coordinates in my mind. That would be the next part of the work.

With that I let out a series of short hoots, landing all over magical Britain before I appeared back in Grimmauld.

888

"I'm surprised that I found this," said Dudley. "But then it's the obvious things that we forget about."

I only hummed at that. "You're keeping it safe?" I asked.

"My own special room in the Room of Requirements," said Dudley. "It's gotten to the point where everyone has their own rooms. It gets annoying when you really need the room." Dudley shrugged. "But it's a living."

"Things sound different," I said.

"Not much," said Dudley. "Still the same sense of deception of every corner but we're dealing. I've been doing very well with the recruiting, started even training my people. The real gem is Tonks though, here ability…" Dudley let out a whistle. "I've got her studying the others, better infiltration if it's ever needed."

"That's good. Very good in the long run," I said. "Because from the looks of it a war might be in the distance."

"Anything you know that I don't?"

I shook my head. "Just further revisions on what I've been thinking," I said. "Su is being chased by Dumbledore, there's only so much time before she snaps. More so than not I think that she'll attack all the equipment to do with the Trace, all of this is just the calm before the storm.

"Whether or not she actually succeeds in her goals is another matter, but she's going to lash out soon, and if she's anything like Voldemort it will be violent."

"Have you told this to the others?" asked Dudley.

"Told Moody but he's been thinking along the same lines," I said. "And there's only so many times I can tell him the same thing before he starts getting exasperated."

"What about the full moon in four days?" Dudley asked. "Could he use that?"

"Unlikely," I said. "Su…" I took a breath, pushing the part of my mind that had been steadily building up her character. "This is still working on the common theory so there might be mistakes in it." Dudley gestured for Harry to go on. "Most of the people we've spoken to have said the same thing about their timelines, that Su was a non-entity.

"I think that this is her chance to be someone, be something greater. With Voldemort's sense of grandeur in her, she'll want to go after someone big, someone like Dumbledore. I had mum's protection and my emotions were still warped, consider her."

Dudley sighed, hand running through hair as he asked, "Are you alright in that matter? You know, you haven't been having rogue impulses?"

"You don't have to ask that every time we speak," I said. Against my better judgement I'd told him about everything. I'd pushed through the fear, it wasn't productive in the long run, and I still hadn't figured out how he was reacting to all of this.

"Just concern," he said. "How were things with Dung?"

"Unproductive so far," I said. "I have another meeting in a day. I'm building through my countermeasure stock. Hopefully Dumbledore attacks someplace else soon so I can get back to Hogwarts. It might make selling the stuff easier."

"You sure this junk is worth something?" asked Dudley.

I shrugged at that. "It's Hogwarts, you could find anything."

"I'm getting distracted," said Dudley, too much to deal with. "What about the house that you found? Anything of worth there?"

"Nothing yet," I said. "My crows will return to me if Voldemort tries to make an appearance. In that particular house, that is, anywhere else that I haven't had time to put a watch on and we'll miss him. The guy should be will to speak soon, though."

"Good, good," said Dudley. He looked behind him before he looked back. "I have to go. Stuff to take care off. I'm vetting a Slytherin I thought was interesting."

"Stay safe," I said. Dudley gave a nod and the image blinked off.

I was going through my evening exercises when the Patronus arrive, Kingsley's lynx. Dumbledore attacked a muggle house. Now's the time to move.

I smirked, feeling a little elated because I was going to be back in Hogwarts. It was a further restriction but it was something I was excited to work around.

"One of you appear right now," I said, my wand at my throat and my voice reaching through the entire house. "I need to be hurt real bad and really quickly. If, like I assumed, you're working for Moody, then he'll have told you about this possibility."

A man appeared, stepping out from thin air. His wand wasn't as the ready, instead his fists were clenched.

"This is going to hurt, isn't it?"

The man's only answer was pain.


	55. Chapter 55

6-08

I took a sip of the tea that had been given to me, relished the warmth that filled me up. There was activity all around me, three Aurors that were talking in heated tone with Lady Longbottom, though all of it didn't reach my ears, no doubt a spell was in play.

In all the time I'd been here I hadn't said anything. Unlike Dudley, I wasn't the greatest of actor. But I'd seen enough traumatised children that I knew that keeping quiet would no doubt be thought off as normal. The real question was whether or not they would believe the act.

At the time I'd thought it would be a good idea, give me enough breathing room to perform more complex magic. But now it could bite me in the butt, after all being trained by Albus Dumbledore should mean I have a stronger resolved. I was betting on the fact that, above all else, I was still a child.

An Auror moved, frustration running off of him as he waved his hand in an absent gesture. The man and his partner, along with Lady Longbottom, came closer to me, a pad and quill coming out of his pocket and to his side.

For the last fifteen minutes the questioning had been held off by Lady Longbottom, citing that I should get a little time to get my mind in order, for the shock to subside, but that battle had no doubt being lost now.

"Mr Potter," the man said. I let myself start at that, moving from looking blankly in the air to meeting the man in his eyes. A few seconds doing this and I started straying to the right.

It wasn't natural, not in the least. Every one of my motions was measured, thought out beforehand. I only had to hope that it came off as natural at least in their eyes.

"This is what I told you isn't it," said Lady Longbottom, exasperation in her tone. "The boy is clearly in shock. You're unlikely to get anything from him."

"Or he's just acting," said the Partner, Auror Bishop. "You heard the rumours. Of _his_ return, of the link that possibly exists between him and _him."_

"Go outside and get some air," said Auror Richardson, giving his partner a long look. The woman let out a huff she started moving towards the exit. "Mr Potter." I started again. "Mr Potter, I wonder if you might tell us how you got here," the man continued.

"I Apparated," I said, my tone cold. "There was fire and light. I managed to get a wand but I couldn't fight. There was just so much fire. Spells. Lights. I chose to run. Beyond the wards and I turned on the spot."

"Can you give us more detail? Who's been keeping you? Where you were before you escaped?"

I spent a minute before I decided to stretch it. I thought about answering but I pushed that back, instead moving my eyes away from the man and looking downwards again, letting myself drift off into space. The wand wouldn't be mind, matter of fact the wand that had been given to me by Ollivander was in Grimmauld, the wand I was using now was one I'd pilfered on my first lone expedition.

"Mr Potter," said the Auror.

"Sorry," I said, but there wasn't much emotion in my tone. "I forgot your questions."

"Where have you been for the last three weeks?" Auror Richardson asked. "Do you know?"

There was more sympathy in his voice this time. I felt a bit of elation fighting through before I stamped it down. If it got too much then it would push my body towards movement and a smirk might form.

Slowly I shook my head. "There was darkness most of the time. Silence. Except once. There was a lot of shaking, then there was—" I stopped, my story was that there was torture, a weakness. It might be pushing credulity to layer all of this, but I needed as much sympathy as I could to push this along.

There had been so much I had done wrong before...well now that I was looking at it now. But then all of it had made sense then, it was just hindsight over the best of sight and all the things I'd done before were stacking against me. I was a legal adult, which meant that the Aurors didn't need to call Aunt Petunia before they talked to me.

Doing that would mean more time and more information about how the fight had gone, the details Kingsley would have brought and the things that I was supposed to remember. I had moved fast enough that I hadn't been able to get much, time had been off the essence.

The Auror let out a sigh. "Lady Longbottom, we'll have to move this to the Department," the man said. "I think it might work better for Mr Potter if we just took his memories of the past few hours' events."

"If that's the case then you can do that here," said the Lady Longbottom. "I won't insult your intelligence, Auror Richardson, but with everything that's been going on, the news concerning Mr Potter that's been relayed by the Daily Prophet, I don't much trust the Ministry to give this the unbiased attention that it needs."

"With all due respect, Madam, you don't have the authority to stop me from taking in, Mr Potter. Even with these circumstances he's still a wanted criminal and it's with my authority to arrest him."

He was right, but from the look in the woman's eyes she wasn't about to let this go. It was surprising when she said, "I can't exactly stop you without committing a crime, can I?" and stepped back.

"If you'll come with me, Mr Potter," the man said, his voice with a gentle edge as he spoke to me. I gave another slow nod, delicately put the cup of tea on the table and got to my feet. The man put his hand on my shoulder and, calling up all my emotion I mentally intoned, _Accio._ The wand at other side of the room jump and landed in my hand.

As quick as a snake the Auror had stepped back, his wand out and pointed in my direction; on the other side of the room two women had appeared in front of the Lady Longbottom and had their wands pointed at me. Another part of the act, showing, that above all this, I was still trained. It would have been remiss if I didn't show that and Scrimgeour might think it odd.

Taking in all this I looked at my hand, letting surprise dawn on my features before I let the wand drop.

"I— I'm sorry. It just happened," I said. I wanted to stutter but I couldn't quite pull it off.

Auror Richardson flicked his wand and the wand jumped, disappearing into his robes. "It's to be expected with what you've been through," the man said. He moved again to take my shoulder and pointed me out of the drawing room.

Auror Bishop stood beyond and she looked up, information shared between the two shared in a look before she moved to my right and took that shoulder. The two of them walked me to a large fireplace, one of them grabbing a handful of Floo powder as we entered.

"Ministry of Magic," Auror Bishop said and then we were spinning, in quick order we were walking into the Ministry atrium and I had cameras flashing in front of me. The way the Aurors faltered a little, Auror Bishop grabbing me a little tighter, they hadn't been expecting it.

Perhaps this was Lady Longbottom's play? But to what end? Was this for my interest or had I misjudged things? Did Neville have a hand in his grandmother's actions?

I couldn't think about that now, instead I had to focus on my short term future. We moved up and into the Auror Department where I saw three familiar forces that were lost in the din. Quite quickly I was in a little cell with a mental expert with a wand and vial out held.

"This process will be quick and you'll feel nothing but a tug," the Auror said.

I gave him a bleary nod. He put his wand at my temple and twisted it. I felt it as my mind collected, the spell taking hold and I felt the tug only for it to stop. The man pulled his wand and nothing happened.

He tsked. "This would move easier if you let me into your mind, Mr Potter," the man said.

"Sorry," I muttered and he started again. Five time he did this before it finally yielded something, blue and patchy, sliding into the vial.

"It'll take us a while to review this and then we'll be back. Do you need anything? Food? Something to drink?"

I shook my head and was silent. They hadn't called Aunt Petunia which meant that I didn't have time to fortify the memories, but I could work with this. The narrative had already been set even if the Ministry was hiding it. It was horrible that I didn't have any power in either the Daily Prophet nor the Wizarding Herald or this would have been easier.

An idea hit to form my own paper but with the Herald still being relatively new I would have a lot of work on my hands, not mentioning the fact that it wasn't something I could put money towards. Perhaps Dudley could help in getting money but I didn't trust that wouldn't take a long time, and it would mean spreading out what I was working towards.

Right now it was better to work with the constraints that I had, and giving out information was amongst them. It hit me that I could have planned more, but weeks spent in that house had finally gotten to me and perhaps impaired my thinking ability. It couldn't be helped now.

I already knew what was going to happened. They were going to see that the memories, see that they had been altered and then they would get fiercer at getting to the truth. In the meanwhile all I had to do was wait.

Ten minutes quickly turned into an hour and then a rather short woman walked into the room, he looked a little tired. "Mr Potter," the man said. "I'm Auror Guy and I'll be looking over your injuries while we wait for the memories. Be warned, I'll be using my wand."

I gave him another nod. He started working, moving his wand in front of me. This went on for ten minutes before he started pulling potions out of the folds of his robes and sitting them in front of me. I ran each under my nose, feeling out for a particular tang of poison only to find nothing.

After gulping each I felt the pain I'd been pushing back lessen, vigour filling my body and the fake memories coming to the fore more often, enough that some were even blurted out. Veritaserum, pretty soon they would be questioning me.

As the man left I started working on the inner barriers again, having to take a few breaths as more and more of the fake memories fought to escape me.

"Mr Potter," said the mental aspect. I hadn't been expecting him but I already had an image of what they wanted. "The memories you gave us were too altered for us to get anything of worth. It's therefore needed that we enter your mind to retrieve your memories. Do we have your permission for this?"

"You do," I said. "I'm of sound enough mind that I can agree to this."

The man nodded. "You've no doubt experienced Legillimency?" I gave a nod. "Unfortunately this will be painful."

"It's nothing to the Cruciatus," I murmured and the man faltered before he nonetheless plunged into my mind. It hurt, especially since my barriers were doing a good job at keeping him at bay and he wasn't particularly being gentle.

I felt him as he passed over the memories, staying too long in one memory and reshuffling, redoing my work to see what was at the base of it all. He moved quickly but not quick enough and every change was met with an amount of pain, the new experiences fighting for the true experiences in the inner parts of my mind.

The process stopped, which meant two hours had passed and it was protocol that the man stop while I was given a moment to catch my breath.

"Water, please," I said. "And food."

After eating the process continued.

888

"The news has already broken," said Dudley. "More than we expected. The Herald ran it, even cited that there were undisclosed golems by the Auror Department."

He was sitting in my cell. The Auror had completed a rotation and given me some time to sleep. Aunt Petunia had been called and she'd contacted Dudley, she gone and given us some time after to speak amongst ourselves.

"Either this is Neville's grandmother or it's Draco," said Dudley. "I don't know, but it's good. I have to say, though, there's only so much that can be done with public perception before the Auror Corps stops listening and just does what they think is best."

"Draco again," I said. "I don't get it. Why would he be helping me when the Society and I aren't allied."

"Not my place to say," said Dudley. "But it's worth trusting that he's working in your best interest."

I nodded at that. "That helps," I said. "A vote should be in soon. An independent investigator to be appointed. I don't know how many votes I'll have which means a proxy needs to be in place."

"It will be," said Dudley. "Sirius' documentation has been sent. Mum will be acting as his proxy while Remus is at Hogwarts. She's used to that sort of dealing and I think a part of her missed it."

"Then we'll have to work towards making the Evans line a noble family," I said. "Might take a little doing but it's achievable. And if that's not enough we could just buy it."

"Not the way I want to be remembered," said Dudley. "I'll take up your plans with Dung if this takes longer."

I shook my head. "I've shared enough with Dung that he knows what's going on. The cabinet should be fixed soon and with it we can port the stuff in the Room."

"About that," said Dudley. "You should know that we're not the only ones who had the idea. I noticed that some stuff is missing."

"In all that mess you managed to know stuff is missing?" I said, surprised.

"I was looking for things I remembered being valuable and they weren't there," he said. "My estimates are on Ron. The book way back when. He's been looking for capital."

"That makes sense," he said. "The money he'll have received for the bounty on Pettigrew will no doubt have gone to his family. This way he can make even more money through his brothers."

"Triple W?" I gave a nod. "We might think about investing there too. I don't know if Ron will accept it if it's us so we'll have to do it through proxy. Legal money."

I nodded. Dudley sighed.

"I'd better get going. They'll think it odd when you're talking to me this long," he said. I gave him another nod. "Good luck with this."

"Thanks."


	56. Chapter 56

Interlude: Draco Malfoy

The pendulum geared into life and it moved. A motion to the right which made it pass through the confines of the pyramid before it stopped with a magnified click of a clock; it moved again, passing through another side of the pyramid before it stopped; moving to the third and then to the last.

Draco watched with bated breath as the pendulum started moving faster, the clicks when it stopped getting higher pitched with every completion. Above the pyramid hovered a blue cube, moving wildly while letting out pulses of blue light at intervals.

Faster and faster the pendulum moved until a low hum was passing through the room. With how fast the pendulum was moving it became invisible and the inner parts of the circle were laid bare; an image of the Chamber of Secrets but it was empty, something passed beyond, a large form with a dark hide and sinuous motions.

"Got image," said Draco. "Alternate Chamber of Secrets."

"Me too," said Parvati.

"Same here," said Daphne.

"How's the power source holding up?" asked Seamus. He was looking down at a large book that was hovering in front of him, a tome in hand. Theo had the same configuration around him, looking between his smaller book and a small device in his left hand.

"We're standing at twenty percent already," he said. "I don't think it will be able to sustain a physical object passing through it."

"Even so it needs testing," said Seamus. "See how much drain we have to account for before we have a working portal."

"Twenty percent isn't going to give us much, though," said Theo. "I can make a few modifications on the energy source. I think if I find a way to contain Fiendfyre I might be able to craft something strong enough to at least allow one of us passage."

"More time spent on this while we have the Unspeakables to worry about?" asked Draco. He could still hear the basilisk moving beyond, entering the small levies filled with water. "We've been lucky so far, between our own machinations and how reckless Su is. Researching a method of doing something that's seen as impossible could mean danger."

"Especially with the Collective doing whatever they're doing," said Seamus. "My systems caught one of them tracking the Chamber."

"We knew this was a possibility even beyond forcing Potter out of Hogwarts," said Daphne. "But the Chamber can't be opened. I've run through the personality types and its improbable that any of them will manifest a snake form…I think I mentioned this before."

"You did," said Parvati. "Part of the whole discussion on the methodology of deposing Potter. But that they're looking means one of them might be thinking along the lines that everything might have been staged."

"Not now," said Draco as he heard the basilisk again, this time much louder, much closer. "Can we close this down? I don't know about the rest of you but I'm not up for fighting a basilisk unnecessarily."

Theo gave a nod and pressed a button on his device. All at once images beyond started to blur, disrupted as their power source was cut off. Quite slowly, the pendulum started slowing down, the ticks getting deeper before the thing had stopped entirely, resting at the middle of the machine.

"I think we should focus less on magic and more on muggle means," said Parvati as they moved towards the common area. An elf whose name Draco had forgotten quickly moved, tea prepared and served as each of the sat.

The idea had belonged to Hermione and though it would take a little work on getting things done, Draco was on the process of putting forward a bill to the Wizengamot that would allow every house-elf that wanted their freedom to be released from their servitude. Even just thinking about it Draco didn't think it would work initially, but with the regularly changing tide of the Wizarding World it was possible that the bill might get passed.

"Draco was right," said Parvati. "The research alone could take ten to twenty years in the least. In that time more time travellers will have shown themselves through one scheme or another. The muggles already have a power source that I think might help us move this along: Nuclear Energy."

"I've heard about it," said Seamus. "I don't know enough about it that I could help you along, Theo, but I know it takes years to study the stuff. Which," said Seamus, his tone with a note of realisation, "is why you want us to get muggles involved."

"Merlin," said Daphne with a huff. "That again. I knew to except it from Hermione, but not from you," she said to Parvati.

"In all honesty I don't know why we didn't speak to them about this in the first place," said Parvati. "I get that the Statute of Secrecy is a large part of it, but we're already breaking laws with experimenting with the forces of space-time and we don't give a damn."

"This is something different all together," said Daphne. "Muggles are…"

"Like us," Seamus interrupted, his tone hard. Draco saw the moment Daphne remembered that Seamus' father, and his family on his father's side were muggles. "They can be as biased as we are in certain matters, are afraid of what they don't understand and they aren't about to easily trust us."

"We'll be appealing to smarter minds," said Draco. "We can at least hope that they'll be open to this."

"And anyway I doubt the Statute will be a thing for very long," said Parvati. "The thing in Africa was public, which is the reason that most of the other magical governments are clamouring to sort the thing out. This will be a call to others who want to seize power," she went on. "That now is the time to move, before more attention is drawn to people our age."

"But it was smart too," said Daphne. "Looking at the general theme of how each country works. Largely, the people of Africa, especially those in smaller settlements are still superstitious enough that the world at large might dismiss the crazy news or the imaginings of the _feral."_

"You're too caught up in the past," said Seamus. "There's a greater sense of communication even now between muggle countries. It's not as closely knit as my future, but it's enough that this will raise questions. If we're unlucky, the American will look to be involved in all of this and that will call greater attention to the matter."

"Let's bet on the American magical government stopping that," said Draco. "Or at least other time travellers. They have as much to lose in all of this as we do."

"Or they are better equipped than we are," said Theo. "It's something we've been putting off, but I think it's time we start putting our minds towards figuring this out. Someone had to do this, be the catalyst to the event that pulled us out here."

"I've been thinking on it and I still haven't figured it out," said Daphne. "The person who'll have put this into effect is the person with the most to gain. They have to be eleven which would explain why _we_ were pulled especially. But I haven't seen an eleven year old with too much to gain in all of this."

"They could be biding their time," said Draco. "Going for something greater while we get our grips on things."

"That just pushes back when we have to deal with it," said Daphne.

Draco gave a shrug at that. "It's not something we should be focusing on dealing with. We know the portals work and when we figure out how to integrate nuclear energy into all of this we'll be able to freely move between dimensions. Something like this has to have had an effect on our original timelines, and if it's as violent as I think it was then—"

Draco stopped as Dobby appeared at his side.

"Dobby has a letter for Master Draco," the elf said and he pulled out a red envelope. "It's from the Wizengamot."

Draco sighed, taking the letter. "Thank you, Dobby," said Draco. As he opened the thing it nicked him before unravelling to reveal information about another meeting the next morning. "There's going to be a meeting tomorrow. No doubt to do with Potter being imprisoned."

"Should we do something on that front?" asked Theo. He wasn't paying much attention, instead jotting down on his book at times. This wasn't his sort of thing. "He does have a portion of Voldemort in him."

"Not your particular avenue of focus," said Daphne. "But at this point there really is much we can do. Potter's smarter, at least from what I've noticed in how he's been working for the last three weeks."

"Something to do with Voldemort?" asked Seamus. "We might have pushed the guy too far."

"We did," said Draco. "If he's anything like my timeline's Harry, this likely will have sent him over the edge. But enough that he'll have done something stupid is questionable."

"With all due respect," said Daphne. "Your views on the matter are more than a little biased." The look she gave Draco was knowing and at this point it was getting to the point that everyone would know. Well except Harry, but then he had always been dense I other matters.

Draco shrugged at that. The Society was broken up into sections of work, there were three at present with Draco's being the one with the least members. He and Neville mainly worked with policy, working to change the world through the Wizengamot; Seamus, Parvati and Theo, worked towards magical engineering; while Daphne, Blaise and a few others worked on social engineering.

If a member had a particular interest towards one subject then they could listen in to the work, but overall they stuck to their particular section. Not many people did this except Hermione, who seemed to have a toe in everything so she could work her slightly known agenda.

"That will be all, Dobby, thank you," he said. The house-elf gave a bow before it disappeared.

"It's scary how much power house-elves have," Theo muttered looking at the spot where Dobby had been. "Could you introduce me to one? An inquisitive one. It would be awesome if I learnt about their full limits."

Draco gave a nod, adding the request to his mental list of things to do. He pushed himself to his feet, drinking the last of his tea. "I'd better go," he said. Start preparing for this."

"Shouldn't you be meeting with us?" said Daphne. "No doubt this has something to do with Potter's move. It would work towards our advantage if we found a way to leverage this."

Draco shook his head. "The Wizengamot is my domain," he said. "I don't have all that much influence there, yet. No one has contacted me yet because they don't know where I stand, how much my parents had taught me and that sort of thing."

"I think the matter of Voldemort being mentioned might also be a factor," said Daphne. "People are waiting on him to truly regain power, or at least show that he will before they show their hands."

"What are we going to do on that front?" said Seamus.

"What we've been doing," said Daphne. "Nothing. Voldemort is Potter's beast to conquer. He has too much emotionally invested not to do so. Even now with the story Hermione's been able to get they're painting Su in a bad light which means she's his main target."

"But the Collective," Parvati started only to be interrupted by Daphne.

"Hasn't done anything concrete yet," the girl said. "Even if they're causing trouble it's still in mind to forming an army."

"But that's not what Potter wanted," said Draco.

"Potter is no longer in control of the situation," said Daphne. "Dudley is, and he's more military minded than Potter. He's recruiting people about to matriculate meaning he'll have influence even on the outside."

"Aren't we sort of doing the same thing?" asked Theo.

"Towards different ends, but sure," said Daphne. "But an army that knows it's an army is better and stronger than collection of people who've just been told they're an army."

"All this is frankly boring me," said Draco with a huff. In was later in the day and though school didn't take that much of his time, it still required enough effort that it was grating. "I'll see you when we have another collective meeting."

There were nods shared before he walked down the long strip and meeting the Unspeakable's eyes before he moved on. Slowly they were gaining greater knowledge of how the man's mind worked and it was hoped that at some point they would have revamped his memories enough that he could work for them much like Mara was doing.

Something else that wasn't in his department because though he was good at mind magic, he wasn't particularly comfortable with breeching another person's mind. He walked out of the Chamber, going down the network until he was at the stairs; the moment he stepped on the things started moving upwards, taking him on the long trip.

Draco stopped by the kitchen first, getting something to eat before he went into the Gryffindor Common Room. He found a seat beside Neville and Padma who in a warded circle doing the evening's homework.

"How was everything?" asked Neville. "Progress?"

Draco nodded. "We were able to open four portals this time around but they drained eighty percent of the cube's power. We're thinking about muggle involvement nuclear energy."

"How are they going to jump over the effect that magic has with muggle tech?" asked Padma.

Draco shrugged. "Your sister was the one who recommended it. I'm thinking that she has enough basic knowledge about the stuff to help Theo in figuring it out."

"It was only a matter of time," said Neville. "The Statute can only survive so long, especially since so many of us know about the advances muggles are going to make in surveillance technology."

"Wouldn't it be better in the long term if we just revealed ourselves?" asked Draco. "My timeline we didn't do that, but at some point muggles were working with the idea of colonising Mars. With magic that thing would be a little easier to achieve, but we're a little stagnant where it comes to magical innovation."

"I think more of us keep thinking on the savage muggle idea," said Neville. "There's, of course, truth in that muggles weren't all that accepting years before. But the same can be said for us." Neville sighed. "If we ever tried to work towards that it would have to be slower. Muggles can't even properly accept each other, imagine if we were to show ourselves."

"Makes me doubt of this thing with the muggles is a good idea," said Padma.

"It's the best we can hope for," said Draco. "When eventually this mess with Dumbledore and Su is over, and Voldemort is no longer a player, they'll be looking into us."

"Which is the reason I say we should be working faster on our front," said Neville. "The more control we have over the Department of Mysteries…"

"I know," said Draco. "But it's easier said than done. Everything we've been doing so far has been shoved under the carpet. A vampire was in Hogwarts and yet people aren't up in arms about that."

"Memory magic?" said Padma.

"Doubt it," said Neville. "Or at least Susan doubts it. But there's a lot we don't know about the Department. If with the few of us who've worked there the place was highly compartmentalised. Getting information was like pulling teeth."

"You can say that again," Padma muttered. She was a part of the team working on the Unspeakable's mind.

Draco didn't like this thread because it didn't take him anywhere. "Do you know that a meeting of the Wizengamot has been called?" he asked Neville.

Neville shook his head. "What do you think it's about?"

"Harry," said Draco. "The whole golem issue and the Auror Corps hiding it."

"But that's fully in their right, isn't it?" said Padma. "There's a law in place. I can't remember specifics but it had to do with helping investigations if a member of the Wizengamot had committed a crime?"

"There is," said Neville. "But you have to look at this from the larger perspective with the limited amount of information that they have. The Ministry starts badmouthing Harry and then there's this; it looks like the entire thing might have been staged adding credence to the fact that is that there are golems. We used one."

Draco gave a nod. "The Ministry can't be trusted as being unbiased," said Draco. "Especially since Scrimgeour's been meeting with the Minister, especially since what they have of Harry's memories points to Su."

"I thought he wasn't too good at Occlumency," said Neville.

"He isn't," said Draco. "But he's surrounded by powerful wizards. With Dumbledore or Mad-Eye working on him the memories could be near perfect enough that his story might succeed. But that's not the focus here. There'll be a vote for someone independent. We could use this to finally get someone we want as Minister."

"We'd need Zabini and Dunbar for that conversation," said Neville. "Not mentioning the fact that we still haven't worked someone yet."

"Why don't we just create someone," said Padma. "The Philosopher's stone is in play. Davina used it on herself."

"Where is it now?" asked Draco.

Padma shrugged. "The Information Broker is still looking into that. He's expecting quite the sum for his information."

"You'll take it out of the Society's pocket," said Draco. "At some point we'll have to put that money where we can get returns. I've got loans running and the farm is doing fairly well—thanks for that by the way—" Neville gave a short nod "—but I don't think I could do with adding more and more money without getting anything in return."

"We'll have to put people on that," said Padma. "Ways to grow our collective interest beyond Hermione's paper."

Conversation continue in that vein for a while longer with Draco listening for the most part than talking. They started finishing off their potions essays before Draco retired early for the night. He knew Wizengamot meeting enough to know that they would be boring, with hours spent on only one matter.

It would be for the good of the Magical Britain when they finally fell.

888

It was a full turnout and Draco sat back watching all the participants. They were dressed in different coloured robes to denote how they'd landed in the Wizengamot whether through Ministry positions or the Order of Merlin and familial ties. Augustus Longbottom sat in the middle of it all with a regal air to her.

The woman pulled out her wand and rapped it against her desk thrice, and with each rap a sound reverberated through the room, garnering silence from the small conversations scattered throughout. Draco watched the people of import and the oddities: The Minister of Magic sitting to Lady Longbottom's right; Petunia Evans sitting amongst the crowd in Sirius Black's seat; and Amelia Bones who was watching the procession with a bored expression.

He watched the members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a representative of the Ollivander family, Carrow and Crouch; a Madam Fawley sitting at the upper parts and Master Avery sitting near Masters Burke and Selwyn. Draco as a little surprised to see that Professor Slughorn had made it to the meeting to. He'd started to think that the man's seat had been taken from him.

"I've called this meeting today to discuss the investigation of Mr Potter," Lady Longbottom started. "As most of you will no doubt have read, Mr Potter was arrested last night after making his way to my residence. What you will not know," she said. "Is the state he arrived in.

"Mr Potter was gravely wounded and quite certainly in shock. The story he told me is that he was captured three weeks ago and in all that time he was being captured by Su Li, one of the three missing students and the one, a short while before, he claimed had been possessed by Voldemort.

"As is my duty, I informed the Auror Corps about Mr Potter's arrival and he was taken into custody. However, during what little time I spent with the Auror who were to take Mr Potter in, I got the feeling that they might be biased in their dealings in regard to the boy. With this in mind, I think it might be in the boy's best interest if an independent investigator were to be appointed so as to ensure that everything the Aurors are doing is above board."

Lady Longbottom took a seat.

"Feelings?" said Master Yaxley. "Is that all it takes nowadays to call something to a vote?"

"Feeling often have a stimuli," Madam Flint. "They don't often sprout from nothing."

"But is that all we're going to go on?" Master Yaxley went on. "It is common that before something of this magnitude is brought into effect that proof be provided."

"Proof was already provided," Draco found himself saying. He didn't speak much but he was invested in this. He wasn't part of the social engineering side of things but he knew Harry, and he knew that Harry wasn't a person to be cornered.

He was working towards something with this and Draco wanted to make sure that he helped him out of it.

"The news from the Herald about the undisclosed golems. The general thread in news regarding Mr Potter in the Daily Prophet points towards a bias where the Ministry is concerned. It's not out of the question that they might use their power to warp their findings."

"With all due respect, Mr Malfoy," said Scrimgeour. "The Auror Corps aren't in the business of tampering with evidence."

"And with all due respect, Head Auror," Draco returned. "It's unlikely that you would admit it if you were."

"I have to wonder at the wisdom of this, though," Amelia Bones said. "We're setting a very dangerous precedent if we allow external hands into this investigation. From the outside in, it will look as though we're catering to Mr Potter because of his status."

"Rather that than justice not being met," said Petunia Evans. "It's a long known fact that there is bias with the Daily Prophet and that that bias is heavily tied to the fact that as a newspaper it's too heavily tied to the Ministry—"

"What are you implying, Ms Evans?" said Dolores Umbridge.

"I'm implying nothing," said Ms Evans. "I'm stating that it's very highly likely that there is corruption within the Daily Prophet. That it narratives are in line with what the Ministry believes. Were it more blatant I would even go so far as to call it a propaganda piece."

There room turned silent at that but Draco found himself smiling. It was destructive, sure, but it would work in the longer scheme of things because it meant the forces that shaped the news would ease a little in their propaganda.

"The merits of the Daily Prophet are not what we're here to discuss," said a Madam Rumford, she was one of the main participants in keeping the paper running. "The issue at hand is Mr Potter and the independent investigator. Before even such a thing could come into effect, the powers of such a person would need to be defined."

Draco let out a sigh at that as the conversation devolved into tedium. Discussing the merits of the idea; discussing whether or not a gauge vote should be put in place so as to test whether it was worth the effort to draw the powers; talking over information that the Auror Corps would need to share; all of it quite boring.

"I think a fifteen minute interim should be taken," said Lady Longbottom. "Refreshments are in the next room."

There was mingling and talking, most of it dry but Draco stayed away from it because he was already feeling tired. He'd prepared for this, pushed his mind into being able to take it all the boredom but it was so much worse. The fifteen minute interim was quickly over and they were back in the room discussing.

"The ayes have it," said Lady Longbottom "There exists enough people that we might discuss the matter before truly putting it into a vote."

And then another boring conversation to start. Draco didn't pay much attention, instead letting his mind run free as he planned for the future. Dobby was out there looking into house-elves that wanted their freedom, whether it was the younger generation or older if it was enough Draco would be able to at least regulate the treatment of house-elves by their families.

Draco had also been thinking about finding an agency for house-elves, seeing how many families were open towards paying for the services performed by house-elves and what the going rate would be. There was also the possibility that a few would want to go into other fields, they were _beings_ just like other beings were which meant they thought, that intellect varied for the individual. It was therefore not out of the question that some of them wouldn't be open to learning.

He was thinking on this when the corner of his eyes caught something. People in Auror garb were moving into the room with purpose, some with wands in their hands.

"What is it, what's going on?" Lady Longbottom asked only to falter as a massive thrum went through the entire room.

"Attack upstairs," said one of the Aurors. "Fiendfy—" He was cut off as a green spell soared through the air, hissing as it passed. The man leaned to one side, the spell passing over him before he rolled to his feet, wand at the ready.

Draco looked in the direction of Lady Longbottom and two people clad in black armour were standing at either side of her. The same could be said for people throughout the room, the Minister of Magic, the Heads of the Auror Corps and the Magical Department.

Draco looked back at the men and he saw for the first time incongruities, how beneath their Auror robes he could see something more. At that the screams started as some of the members of the Wizengamot scrambled for cover, all the while spells filled the air, concentrated towards Fudge and Longbottom.

Draco quickly sat back in his seat, using it as cover and pulling out his wand. _This_ hadn't been expected. The Ministry was one of the most warded places in Britain and yet these people had gone in deep enough that they'd been able to get into a Wizengamot meeting?

A curse sailing too close to him, hitting his cover and causing it to splinter.

"Dobby," Draco whispered but nothing happened. Warding for the elf? Which meant he would have to get out of this alive by his own power: A man in Auror garbs sailed through the air, spinning and doing a salvo of spells before a small sphere rocketed off of him, and explosion following soon after.

The shrieks started after that, those with shields forming only to be taken down by the constant stream of gunfire. Draco peaked and he could see sections of the room in disarray, blood at places and people that weren't moving.

Wand in hand Draco stood and said, "Immensus Serpensortia."

A ball shot out of his wand towards one of the attackers, a man that was dodging spell with a grace to his and sending knives flying towards the guards. The man jumped out of the way before the ball could hit him, landing in a roll and sending off another knife; the snake unfolded and whipped its tail, sending the man flying and crashing into a woman desk.

A spell speared towards the snake but the think jumped out of the way, going low towards its attacker only to be ripped apart by bullets. Draco saw a flash of light moving in his direction and he acted, pulling up his wand and causing desks to shoot towards him and form a shield.

"Depulso," he said and the desk shot off.

"Protego Horribilis!" A large dome shape appeared just in time to stop a hail of bullets, the things hitting one spot and causing cracks to steadily draw themselves out. It would only be a matter of minutes before the thing gave up.

He started working in the meanwhile, focusing on the rubble around him and conjuring it. Birds came to life and they were at the ready, filling up the space and hiding him from the people firing towards him; he tapped his eyes and started to see only in heat signatures; he muttered a spell and he was cloaked by thick black smoke.

He started to move, dispelling the shield as he ran. He could see enough that he saw the Auror garbed attacker, see as he reached at his side and Draco jumped to the side coming to a stand and saying, "Incendios Grata!"

Fire short out and his wand recoiled, shooting upwards before he compensated flailing so his fire spread out in a spray. Draco caught a fire at his left but it was too late; a hand hit his side and he was propelled through the air, afforded an image of the battlefield below nonetheless.

The room was in disarray, fires in places, men and women battling, dead bodies and even cave in at points. From the looks of it only one of the guards was still alive with the brunt of the fighting being done by the Amelia Bones, Rufus Scrimgeour and Bartemius Crouch.

Draco landed with a crack against a wall, falling the rest of the distance to the ground and landing beside a shakily breathing body. Petunia Evans and she looked stricken, her eyes too wide and one of her hands grabbing at her side.

Draco tried to move and found that pain sprouted through every part of his body, even so he pushed through it pointing his wand at Petunia and muttering under his breath, _Vulnera Sanentur._

He had to trust that it worked because he had himself to focus on. Draco pointed his wand and the points that hurt the most, dulling the amount of sensation that passed through those points until he was in a place where he could stand. He was higher up in the room and above the smoke he'd made he saw that his side was gradually losing; Bartemius Crouch had fallen though it looked like he was breathing.

Two vampires against four wizards, and the wizard looked like they were tiring. Amelia touched her head and a lance of red light speared through the air only to be dodged by her target; the man sent a flurry of knives only for the floor to heave upwards and stop the knives. Rufus pushed his wand forward and the ground surged forwards like a wave, growing large and threatening to catch both.

Both vampire leapt into the air which meant they were easier targets. Spells shot at the pair and though they twisted to dodge some landed. One of Draco's birds flew into the midst of it all only to be caught by a knife; the thing detonated and the explosion caught one of the vampires, not going off even as the rolled on the ground.

The other landed and ran forward only to have to jump as side as more lances of light flew towards him. They didn't stop this time, over and over, forcing the man to dodge. He jumped and landed higher on the row of seats, grabbing a chair and throwing it; shields were quickly called into life.

The vampire made to capitalise on this only for a spell to catch him in the back, setting him a light with a green flame. When the man fell, a bloody looking Yaxley was standing just a bit behind him.

It was done but from the looks of it they'd lost some of their members. Petunia had gotten to her feet, gingerly walking forward towards the gathering of the Head. Draco followed after her, moving awkwardly because parts of him were still numb.

"…help?" Amelia was asking.

"If they managed to get through then it's possible that something is happening upstairs," said Scrimgeour.

"Does that mean no help?" asked Petunia Evans, her voice was shaking.

"No," Amelia said and she sighed. "We'll have to ward the room. Start looking for the injured, seeing which were killed during the altercation."

Draco nodded and got to work, moving pieces of rubble and using the little of healing magic he knew to help ease the pain of those who were still alive. Even so there were still so many dead, but most worryingly was…

"Could this all have been to get at the Minister?" Amelia asked.

"It very well might be," said Lady Longbottom, she sat on the ground drinking water that had been conjured, she had dust caked all over her face. She took a breath. "We have to ask ourselves who's responsible for this."

"With everything that's been going on it could very well be anyone," said Scrimgeour. "But it hasn't escaped my notice that all this happens with Potter in the building."

"You can't believe—" Petunia Evans started.

"I can," Scrimgeour interrupted. "Because there seems to be a lot of strange things surrounding your nephew Ms Evans."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Scrimgeour," said Amelia. "Voldemort is within his power to pull this off, so is Dumbledore or any of the vampire courts. It might very well be a collaboration between vampires and wizards much like what's happening in Africa."

"Still doesn't point us to anyone," said Scrimgeour.

"That aside," said Yaxley. "What do we do now? There are people that are hurt, the aid we've given them will only last so long."

"We have no choice but to wait," said Amelia. "Unspeakables should check on us when things upstairs are handle." She sighed as she looked at the dead attackers. "It's unfortunate we couldn't keep at least one of them alive."

Draco had to agree with that, because whoever it was had come very close to killing him and that was something to be resentful over. But if it was Su, Draco had it in mind that it was perhaps time to start dealing with her.


	57. Chapter 57

6-09

A day and night spent with people pilfering through my mind. The more they ran through it, the more worried I felt that they might eventually reach the point where the fake memories ended and my real barriers began. It was even more worrying when they a masked Unspeakable was tasked with fixing my damaged mind.

After which I was returned to my holding cell. A single room filled with only the bare measures; a toilet in one corner, a sink right beside it, a bed with a thin mattress and even thinner blanket. Of course none of that meant anything where magic was concerned but the things weren't enchanted for comfort.

"When am I going to get out of here?" I asked my guard.

"Your memories are still being looked over," the Auror said. "It's hard but not impossible to fake something like this. So we're looking at the larger scale, how the information we had before lines up with the information you've provided us."

I sighed, sitting on my bed and letting my hand run through my hair. It was a little tiring to have my mind so raw, it wasn't the worst that could happen with Legillimency, but it was still enough that the strain could be felt. I lay back on my bed and let my mind wander.

The meeting would be held soon, if I was lucky then it would be today. If Dudley was right about Draco then he would be in my favour and that of the people around him, things would move faster and an independent person would be appointed. With everything I'd done, the ideas I'd seeded, it wouldn't be too long thereafter before I was freed and everything I'd done chalked up to Voldemort.

All of it was moving a little too slowly for my liking though, and it meant that I was forced in one place while I waited everything to fall into place.

I was in this state when a deep thrum passed through the room. I was immediately on my feet, moving to the bars of my cell. That, so close to another of Dumbledore's attacks made me think that Su had finally acted, lashing out all the while moving to get what she wanted.

If I was right and she was after the collection of spells that ran the Trace, then that was likely her target. It was protected though, something that wouldn't be too hard to guess at if she was really watching, she knew which players were in the grander game or the fact that I would be helping Dumbledore. All of this together made me wonder how she would play this.

Footsteps reverberated before two Aurors stepped in front of my cell, their wands held at the ready.

"What's going on?" I asked. "What was that?"

"Fiendfyre," said one of the Aurors. "We're here to escort you out of the Ministry. Don't try anything."

I gave a nod, watching as the second Auror waved his wand in a complicated pattern. A hiss sounded before the cell's bars popped open. I moved forward as one of the Aurors stepped back. I kept behind both of them as we moved down a hall, away from the main entrance of the Auror Corps moving to the escape Floo network.

We went down a flight of stairs and the Auror in front of me opened tapped his wand against a wall that opened into a large room with one fireplace. The Auror took a step into the room before he slumped, unconscious.

"Back," the Auror behind me said, in the same instance pulling me back. The Auror pointed his wand and jerked it back, the spell pulling at his compatriot; the man said a spell and a light flew out of his wand, detonating with a massive burst of light when it hit the centre of the room.

The Auror quickly stepped into the room, wand at the ready; a green light flashed but the man had already jumped to the side, coming to his feet and slashing his wand: A purple flash of light flew through the room towards someone and I heard the sound of rocks crashing into each other quickly followed by golden fire which promptly disappeared into flock of smoke rats.

Small explosions detonated, curses ringing out as the Auror fired spells at the unseen attacker. Cautiously I took a step forward to better see only to have to jump to the side as red spelled crackled, moving in my direction. The Auror didn't discount me as an enemy, perhaps thinking that this was an escape attempt?

The small moment was enough that a spell got through the Auror's defence and he was smacked through the air, his wand leaving his grasp. I didn't even think before I acted, letting all the panic come to the fore and _Accio_ to ring in my mind.

The fallen Auror's wand jumped into my hand as I stepped into the room, seeing the man dressed in black firing his spell; I waved my wand and a shield formed, thick and blue, taking the curse before it broke apart into pieces.

Me and the man looked at each other for long moments before he moved; three spells moved towards me but I was expecting them. My wand moved in a complicated pattern before three small shields appeared, spinning to intercept the coming spells; a jerk upwards and the floor to the room surged upwards, in the same motion I stabbed forward and the newly formed wall shattered, the pieces rocketing through the air towards the attacker.

The attacker waved his wand in a large arc, forming a white shield that bared three of the rock chunks before the woman was forced to jump to the side. He quickly came up only to have to duck down as a curse sailed over his head, not mine. I glanced back and the Auror had come to a rise.

The attacker took a few steps back before he got into a loose duelling form. The Auror and I did the same, similar stances that I'm sure the Auror noticed. The man attacked first, a green spell that was no doubt the Killing Curse; I reacted, sharp cracks reverberating as raven shot out of my wand intercepting the incoming spell.

The man jumped to the side, brought up a shield and the send a gout of fire towards the Auror. I grabbed the fire, warping it and sending it back; he dodged the Auror's spell while striking at the fire I'd redirected. It crashed into the ground before it formed into a snake, the form lunged at the man, striking his leg and binding it.

The attacker screamed, the small moment enough that a spell slammed into his chest, spinning himself head over heels before he landed on his feet, dismissing my transfiguration. The way he stood had changed, anger behind the way he held his wand.

He attacked and this time it was faster. I had to jump to the side before as a salvo of spells hurtled in my direction, in the same motion trying to move the floor to make cover. The Auror was faring better, changing between dodging and attacking with fluid motions; with me trying to defend it meant the man could attack the Auror.

I caught sight of one of my birds getting closer to the attacker before it caught a rebounding spell from a prismatic shield. I peeked over my cover and fired three spells; the man jumped, spinning through the air while waving his wand. My cover was hit by a massive force, enough that even I was blown back.

When I got to my feet the tide had changed, the Auror looked hurt and the grace in his attacks was gone. I couldn't win this with spell fire, I had to fall back on what made me better: _Remember, you're on the backfoot._

"Fumos!" I said, directing the fumes towards the man. He waved his wand towards the smoke, trying to disrupt it but I'd long since gotten used to people trying the tactic: It didn't work.

The fumes surged like a wave all over him until he screamed, "Partis Temporus!" in a voice that sounded familiar.

"Dumbledore," I said under my breath. The memories were foggy but I still could remember his voice. "Don't kill him," I said to the Auror. "He's bewitched."

Whether the Auror heard me wasn't noticeable because he moved with more vigour, the spells with harsher colouring in them as they sailed towards Dumbledore. Even so Dumbledore moved, ducking over and under spells, conjuring shields before he attacked with a white spell.

The Auror formed a shield but it was too late. The spell smacked into his chest, throwing him across the room and hitting him so hard that he formed a dent on the wall. The Auror didn't move to get up.

With the man gone Dumbledore faced Harry.

"Expecto Patronum," he said and Prongs jumped out. "Tell Dumbledore his brother's in the Ministry."

Prongs shot of just as I was jumping to the side, landing in a roll that brought me to my feet. I conjured a shield only to have it winking out as it was met by a spell.

"Incendios Grata!"

The fire flooded the room, going out wide. Abeforth condensed it into a point before he sent if flying back in my direction; the small amount of time this had offered meant a golden line had been drawn in front of me. I'd need at last five minutes before the shield was powerful enough to take a hit.

The incoming fire was sent aside by a wave of the wand just as I was running to the side for cover. I quickly formed more cover in my path, points that I could hide before they were torn asunder by incoming spell fire.

I pointed a wand and the dead Auror's wand shot forward into my hand. I pointed both wands and spells fired from each, a constant barrage that sailed towards Abeforth. None of it too damaging, of course, because the man was managing to field the incoming attacks.

He send out his white spell and I dodged instead of forming a shield, hiding behind my cover and staying there. It was getting too much. One, maybe two minutes had passed and I was already nearing my last leg; a spell hit and detonated against my barrier and I was pushed back.

"Incendios Grata!" I said, my wand pointed downwards. I shot up, dodging spells bolts that had been heading towards me and momentarily flying; I changed shaped, weaving left and right as he fired spells. I got close enough that I could peck at his eyes before I was stopped by a gust of wind.

I wove out of the way of a spell, ducking near to the ground before I angled towards my line. I entered the side, some of his spell getting caught before I was shooting towards him again. There was still the fatigue, but I was pushing through it bit by bit. With whatever was happening up or downstairs maybe Albus would have an easier time getting in.

But I knew for certain that Dumbledore would make it.

There was a whoosh and Dumbledore appeared holding onto Fawkes' tail. He pointed his wand toward his brother and bands of rope shot through the air; Abeforth slashed his wand and the ropes were cut in half; that didn't stop the ropes because they course corrected, binding whichever position they could find purchase.

His arms were quickly grabbed, tied to his side; He tried to disenchant the ropes but more were tying him up, around his legs around his neck. Albus gave his wand another flick before Abeforth's wand was wrenched from his hands; another spell hit Abeforth and the man slumped.

"What's going on up there?" I asked, stilling breathing harshly. I hadn't been hit by a spell but my sides were aching.

"Fiendfyre," said Dumbledore while moving towards his brother. He ran his wand over him, the man glowing a variety of colours before Dumbledore let out a sigh. "Su is making her attack on the Trace, she's pushing out a lot of damage, forcing Aurors to deal with the fire and only small groups dealing with protecting the room."

"She's winning," I said, anger behind that. How could she win again. It would be twice now that she outsmarted us, getting through us to get at her objectives.

"That she is, Harry," said Dumbledore.

Ideas were already running through my mind, how I might win this before I stopped, a facet of this thing that I hadn't considered before finally clear to me: The Trace will be gone, which meant I could act with more ease. This would be a victory if indirectly and I just had to play it right if I wanted things to go my way.

"Take Abeforth and go, Professor," I said to Dumbledore. "If I'm right then this is an escape route. It'll look like there was a fight and I survived. It's better now that you ensure whatever curses are on Abeforth are taken care of."

Dumbledore gave me a long look before he nodded. One hand took his brother while another took a hold of Fawkes; the three disappeared in a blaze of fire.

Ideas came into my mind and for the first time I considered what I was working with, the narrative I had to play. One Auror was dead and there were signs of a struggle. It was fortunate that the one Auror who'd died was the one who'd heard me say Dumbledore's name. That meant that Abeforth wasn't connected to this unless my memories were tampered with.

I wouldn't do that, it would be too suspicious.

Instead I was working off of something. The others in the attack would be back to use this as their escape route which meant what? Could I use that to my advantage?

There wasn't any way I could think of when I didn't know the timetable I was working off of. But this could go around better if I had at least helped someone. I moved to the fallen Auror and let out a relieved sigh as the Auror breathed.

"Enervate," I tried and the spell only worked in making the Auror open his eyes for a second before they closed again, the man's breathing becoming shaky.

I looked at the escape route. I didn't know where they were going which meant I couldn't tow him along since the Ministry was being attacked, and I couldn't stay here because if more than one person attacked me I wouldn't be able to make it in the fight. Which meant.

"Confringo!" the spell shot through the air and slammed into the fireplace. It hit and the entire thing blew apart, folding in on itself.

I pointed my wand towards the two fallen Aurors and started moving back towards the cells. This was more dangerous but hopefully everything had already ran its course and I wouldn't come out of this having been attacked.

We scaled up stairs and stopped at the holding cells before we heard a disturbance outside. I stowed the Aurors in a cell, putting extra layers of enchantment on the doors before I moved to see what was going on; the fighting was fast paced, three Unspeakables against two vampires.

More vampires in the affairs of wizards.

A part of me had to wonder if this wasn't a collective effort by the Courts to have a greater influence in the world. After all, the only thing keeping them from ruling it were wizards and the amount of power behind a curse. Especially one that could be inflicted on an entire generation.

This wouldn't be the fight for me, especially with this body. I needed to ride this out, survive and then plan for the future, but even as I watched my mind was running through a multitude of objectives, variations of plans and how they would fit my greater goals.

Getting back to Hogwarts was still important, but if what I thought after news on the Trace filtered through was correct, it would need to be superficial at best.

Lucky for me, I already had a golem laying around.


	58. Chapter 58

6-10

The time spent in my cell meant I could warp my mind and memories. I kept everything as it was for the time being but I pushed it back into the real protection of my mind. The Auror had suspected me when he'd fought Abeforth and that had been part of the reason he'd lost, the Unspeakables had suspected me when they'd dispatched the vampires, it was only a matter of time before my mind was being raided.

It hurt me if I told them I didn't want to voluntarily let them enter my mind, but whether that would be public information was something else. The Minister of Magic had died and so had a few other members of the Wizengamot, but that paled to the fact that a score of other Ministry workers who had died.

Surprisingly, none of that resonated with me much more than the fact that Aunt Petunia had almost died because of Su.

"When am I going to be able to see my family?" I asked one of my guards. There had been two stationed since things had cooled down, information had been restricted, but I had the running idea that Su had succeeded in burning the room with the Trace.

"Movement through the Ministry is still restricted," the woman said. She'd been saying that ever since she'd arrived. It seemed that she didn't care that I'd saved an Auror's life. "Once everything has been dealt with and security measures have been put in place, visiting should resume."

"Then why aren't I being put in another holding cell?" I asked. "A place where Auror resources won't be strained by my presence."

"The only nation that can be trusted is the Goblin Nation," said the other Auror guard. He was more talkative than his partner. "But wizard-goblin relations are a little strained. Gringotts was robbed, wizards are being suspected."

I snorted at that. "That seems unlikely," I lied. "No wizard would be stupid enough to attack the only banking system we have…except if the Goblins are gunning for a war. With the current climate, the Goblins could win a war with wizards. We've just lost our leader."

The male Auror gave me a long look before he shook his head. "Bingham, are you as creeped out as I am with youngsters these days? When I was your age I couldn't even stomach the History of Magic much less think about political implications."

I smiled a little at that. "Everyone's expecting that I be Minister of Magic one day," I said. "It makes sense that I was being taught all about this and that I would be interested."

"So the entire thing about Dumbledore grooming you is true?" asked Auror Bingham.

I nodded. "Dumbledore has been grooming me. He wanted to make sure that I could have a future, reach my full potential and if Voldemort returned, I would be able to deal with him or at least stay alive." I sighed, leaning back against a wall. "Unfortunately that didn't work too well for me. But then again I hadn't expected Voldemort would be possessing an eleven year old girl."

They both turned to look at me at that before looking forward.

"Who's going to be the interim Minister of Magic? Do you know?"

"The bid is between Madame Bones and Bartemius Crouch," the male Auror responded after a silence had stretched. I'd thought they had stopped talking to me, that I wasn't interesting anymore. "Madame Bones has a higher standing since the incident with Mr Crouch's son."

His son. It hit me that I'd forgotten something important, that Bartemius Crouch had released his son from Azkaban. Everything started to make a measure of sense, the wider reach of Su's plans and what she was reaching for towards the future. The more I thought about it the more it didn't make sense, the hodgepodge nature of the plan yet having a streamlined goal.

I had to remind myself that Su wasn't the only one I was dealing with, Su-Voldemort wasn't the only one I was dealing with because Pansy and Vincent were also her partners. I remembered the meeting with them, Dumbledore and myself, how their illusions had stood, framing Su; I remembered the conversation between Dudley, Draco, Lily and myself, our speculation about what had brought the version of Su we knew into being.

"You guys will most likely report everything I say back to Scrimgeour," I said allowed as my thoughts started to solidify, threads forming of how I might play this even now.

"Which is good because I want to have an impact," I went on. "The first step to becoming Minister is that…Well not really," I said, moving around the room. "The first step is matriculating and then getting a job, it helps if it's at the Ministry but that isn't a requirement. I've lost the thread of what I wanted to say.

"I want to make an impact. _This,_ getting bamboozled by Voldemort is bad but if I helped the Ministry in some respect even if it's minor. The Minister's death was part of the larger plan, I think one of the people in the running are in some form connected to Voldemort."

"That's obvious," said the male Auror.

Of course it was, but I could play that even if it didn't give me much. "Sorry," I said with a small chuckled. "It's hard to convince myself that I don't see the world in an angle no one else can see."

"Ah youth," the male Auror said, he turned to me, grinning. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said. "As you grow older you start to realise that you're not as extraordinary as they told you you were. But then again, _you're_ the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Bleak," I said. I sat on my bed. "Would it be too much to ask to be kept informed? It's grating to hear nothing."

"We'll see if we can tell you anything without recourse," said Auror Bingham. I gave her a nod and then slept, I really was tired.

It didn't even feel like hours spent asleep but as I was woken up that's what they told me. I was moved to another cell, this one, I was told had more protective enchantments while the Auror office was being fixed. It was a little intimidating, more so because it was nicer than the previous cell, making me think that this was where the other shoe dropped.

And indeed it did. "Mr Potter," said Rufus Scrimgeour.

"Head Auror Scrimgeour," I returned. "You're most likely here to interrogate me on the attack."

"To question you on the attack, yes," he corrected. "Do you mind going through what happened again?"

I gave him a nod and told him the story, how the first Auror had dropped on entering the room and how the second Auror had moved to apprehend the attacker; then I had entered the fray which had hurt the Auror because he'd been distracted; and then we'd managed to push the attacker off only for him to escape, landing a final curse on the Auror that had killed him. I'd then destroyed the chimney because it was most likely an escape route.

All through it Scrimgeour gave me nods that I didn't quite get, he kept nodding and hiding his expression before he stood. "You'll be free to leave in a matter of hours, Mr Potter. I think we've kept you long enough."

"What?"

"We've kept you long enough," said the man. "Unless there's something more you haven't told us?"

Slowly I shook my head. He left. My mind was running as the hours passed, all of it didn't make sense, especially when put together. Of course it had to make sense to the decision makers, but what was I missing? Which piece in the puzzle wasn't I putting together.

Eventually I was let out to Aunt Petunia and Remus' waiting arms. The Ministry had suffered more damage than I'd thought, the entire atrium charred and the stone itself looking as though it had changed states at some point. There was more of an Auror presence with little in the way of Ministry workers.

Because of the attack, the English Ministry was standing still.

"There's going to be a war over this," I muttered under my breath. "The Goblins and what they're saying, not to mention the robbery at Gringotts. Did you hear?"

"We heard," said Aunt Petunia. She was holding me closer. "But let's not talk about this. You have to be back at Hogwarts in two days which means we'll have to get you a new wand."

Not really needed but it was part of the act. The one I'd used was the one I'd picked up while retrieving Voldemort's father's bones. My wand was still at Grimmauld place. But since no one knew about the wand's core except Dumbledore and Ollivander, even if it was checked in the future no one would be the wiser.

We Flooed to Godric's Hollow where Sirius was waiting for us. He let out a breath of relief before giving me a hug.

"You are going to kill me, Harry," he said. "Never do something that stupid again."

"The alternative was living on the run," I said. "This was the best plan I could have come up with and it looks like it worked."

"Not really," said Remus. "Just like before, and now even more so, public perception is something that will be needed. War is just on the corner and if the Ministry doesn't have you on their side it'll mean less people for their army."

"Fuck me, things are bad," I muttered. "Can you at least tell me that we succeeded?"

Sirius nodded. "The cup was stolen and destroyed," he said. "But the Goblins figured out what it was. I don't know how this might be used against us, but I'm sure they're going to sell it."

"Unknown problem, so it's safer we ignore them until something comes of them," said Harry. "Dumbledore got his brother back which means he'll be back to doing the planning. I'll be going back to Hogwarts, I'll talk to the Society, have them help us with this, it seems more in their field than anything else."

"What about Su?" said Aunt Petunia. "She's vying for the Ministry no doubt. If she's anything like Voldemort she'll kill a lot of people to get at the ministry."

"Not neccesarily," I said. "With all the focus on Su we've been missing the fact that she works with people: Pansy and Gregory."

"You think they might play this with a softer touch?" asked Sirius.

"This is future knowledge," I said. "But Bartemius Crouch Junior is no longer in Azkaban." Shocked expression passed over everyone. "In the future he manages to get his father under the Imperius Curse and eventually bring Voldemort back to life. But it's possible those three moved events along faster."

"And now we've royally messed things up," said Remus. "The Goblins are the only source of Thieves' Downfall and since they sense weakness they're unlikely to part with it even if they stand to make a profit."

"What about the banking sector, though?" I asked. "Won't it be affected?"

Remus shook his head. "If they withhold any gold then other nations get antsy," he said. "That happens and we band together to take care of them. It doesn't give them anything. And it had to be remembered above all else that Gringotts and its affiliates are a business first a foremost, they'll look over their best interest before that of their nation."

I let out a relieved breath.

"Enough of this," said Aunt Petunia. "You must be hungry," she said to me. "I'll prepare dinner."

Remus, Sirius and I moved to the living room. "She's worried," said Remus. "So close she came to death. I think it's starting to hit her the full reality of everything that's been happening this past month."

"I know the feeling," said Sirius giving me a long and tired look.

It hurt to see it, but it was a dulled sort of pain that I could push back. The game had only gotten fiercer, and by the looks of it, it was likely that the entire world would be playing. It was hard not to feel excited.

888

AN: _Fantastic Beasts_ is coming out soon. I don't know if _this_ story will cover the international aspects, but with the greater picture that _Fantastic Beasts_ is going to offer about other magical communities, I might change my mind.


	59. Chapter 59

6-11

Things were so much easier when I had a hand in the criminal elements. Just after getting home, eating and getting so comfortable sleep, I was up and communicating with Dung. The info broker seemed more amenable to business conducted in good faith, though the man had made it clear that he'd rather not meet with me but instead Dung.

I didn't like putting Dung in that position, but the man was crafty enough that I had no choice but to trust him.

"I've collected a few trusted people, Mr Potter," the man said to me as we met in a warded area in the Forest of Dean. "But that's not saying much in our line of work."

"Are they prepared to make oaths?" I asked. "Getting myself immersed in this is bad enough, but if one of them rats me out…"

Dung hesitated before he let out a long breath and said, "That's a steep price, right there. Asking anyone to take the Oath is…It only works if they're very scared or the remuneration is something they can't say no to. And from what I've gathered we're little strapped on that front."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, letting my thoughts spread out until an idea formed. "I guess I'll have to keep my supplies of Polyjuice well stocked," I said. "But for the time being let's not show them how big we're going to be taking this. You'll discuss wages with them, keep it low, but still high enough that they aren't willing to back stab us. How are these people in a fight?"

"Scrappers," said Dung. "Some runners more than anything. They'll have countermeasures on them in case things turn out bad. More so with you after what you did with our Ministry worker."

"And here I was thinking I'd curse them," I muttered under my breath. "I'll need the major players in criminal enterprises on our parts," I said. "Also I want you to keep your ear to the ground concerning anything involving either Voldemort or three Hogwarts aged witches and a wizard."

"The same thing the Order wants," said Dung.

"But I'm pushing money into," I told him. "You'll make out receipts for any people that need to be paid out. Also I'd like to buy some of that American grade Veritaserum."

More money out of my vault but with me returning to Hogwarts even if briefly, I was aware that I was returning to a place that had felled me before. It was better than I go back there more prepared, more suspicious and more paranoid even if it would make me seem crazy.

"I'll get to it," said Dung. He gave a short nod. "Mr Potter," he said before he turned the spot and disappeared with a harsh crack. I frowned in distaste at that. How could the man call himself a thief when he couldn't even Apparate near silently?

I pushed that aside and got to work, tying a cord around my waist which connected to a large and black cabinet. I summoned the small sack and grabbed it with my left hand; simultaneously I stabbed my wand forward, disabling the wards, and turned on the spot. Three Apparition points before the Port Key activated and I appeared in the Arcturus Property.

The place, unlike Grimmauld, was in complete disrepair; sections of the roof had fallen, some places looked as though they'd been burnt and the vines that clung to the house moved a little.

"Lumos Solem!" I said pointing my wand; a thick beam of light stretched out and hit a section of the vines. There was a sharp shriek and the vines opened up, revealing a door which had been blasted off.

I walked forward, feeling the rope tug and the magic starting to compensate and pulling the cabinet. I moved in the house with his the beam of sunlight still shining, things moved, large rats, smoking snakes, fold of cloth that whipped at my periphery; Prong jumped of my wand soon after and the sound of cloth settled.

A Lethifold, no doubt. But why it would be so far away from its usual territory was beyond me. Now that I thought about it, it would fetch a pretty penny.

I found the room which had been the ball room, layered in dust with a few broken furniture and some which were still in surprisingly good condition. The moment I got within range I felt my skin prickling before the effect faded. I undid the rope and the cabinet hit the floor with a deep thud.

I summoned another Patronus and it quickly turned into a ball and shot off. I waited and moments later a warthog returned, "Sent through the apple."

I opened the cabinet and indeed there was an apple, unharmed. I pointed my wand into the house beyond and after a moment three rats flew into the room, clamouring against the invisible force. I sent one into the chamber, then I enlarged a second to be roughly double the size of the last rat, and then the last so that it was roughly Dudley's side.

"It got through," said the warthog. I sent in the second and it too had moved through unharmed. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the third rat. "It's left behind a bloody mess," the warthog said. "Quite literally."

Harry sent out another Patronus and he got an answer.

"Yeah," said the warthog. Harry was the first to act, shoving the sack with Dudley's effigy into the Vanishing Cabinet. The wizard waited five minutes before he opened the cabinet again to find it filled with a lot of weapons.

Harry summoned them all with a spell and closed the cabinet. It took him a minute to get all the things out which meant he had to wait nine minutes before he could open the cabinet again; more weapons and Harry pulled them out, got them into a pile. They continued this for an hour before Harry got to a more boring task.

He started cataloguing everything. Working spells so as to ensure there weren't any curses that might harm him, then he cleaned it of its age; dirt wasn't needed in that capacity, the right spell and a wizard or witch would be able to know how old an object was.

"Blade," he said and the Quick Quotes Quill jotted it down. "About seven inches slightly curved. Enchanted to produce an air current for sharpness. Runic markings which might provide extra effect. And the material used is Goblin grade steal."

I then put the blade in the section that was dominated by blades, similar in structure and design. There were a lot of stuff which were really junk, newer or had unstable spells that made the things useless.

Three hours in the place before I started getting a little hungry. I moved to a busted fireplace and grabbed some Floo powder. The connection was limited but it would get me where I needed to be; I summoned some fire and three the thing in. The flames immediately turned green and I walked into them, immediately spinning and deposited in Grimmauld place to the wider Floo connection.

"Twelve, Alder Street, Godric's Hollow," I said and I was spinning again. I was surprised a little that Sirius was still in the living room as I made my way into the house.

"You should be asleep," said Sirius and he sounded old.

"I slept enough the small amount of time I was in prison," I said. I took a seat, taking a bite of my sandwich. "Remus and Aunt Petunia already gone?"

"We had to lace her tea," said Sirius, a sad look in his eyes. "When she noticed you were gone she was quite distraught. I've got to admit that I was scared too. Where were you, Harry? How could you—"

"I'm not a child, Sirius," I said, interrupting him. I'd said as much to Remus but it was easy for them to forget. "I look like a child, sure, but I'm not. Please don't forget that because it's starting to stop being endearing."

"And that should mean what to me?" said Sirius. "Your father wasn't a child and he still died."

There was no anger, no emotion behind the words, just a starkness that caught me off guard. Sirius looked at me for a long time before he said, "It doesn't matter to us how old you are, you're still Lily and James' son and we worry about you. That has nothing to do with your age.

"Above all else is the fact that everything is happening around you," said Sirius. He took a breath, emotion bleeding through for the first time. He had to take a breath before he stopped himself, the emotion dissipating. "Harry, a war is on its way and from the looks of it, the Ministry is going to work you into everything."

Now that it was mentioned I could see the pieces, but I couldn't see how it connected to the greater scope. How would they do that? Was it going to be like before, with the next Minister of Magic pulling me closer, making it look like I accepted how they ran things?

Was this the carrot? My being released? Showing me that they would forget the entire thing I as involved in if I worked with them? Or did it have to do with what I'd said to the Aurors? Did they see that this could help me become Minister of Magic down the line?

 _Sirius is saying something,_ a part of me said. _Focus._

"Above everything there's the Voldemorts," he said. "The Society, everything to do with time travel." He let out a tired breath. "You're involved in everything which means that every passing second that you're in it all is time you could be meeting a grizzly end."

"I'm more careful than that," I said.

"Even so you were still captured, hurt by that vampire," he quickly said. "It's luck alone that Dudley was able to do anything about that, or Dumbledore was—"

"So what?" I asked, feeling a little anger. "You want me to stop? With everything that's going on you want me to do nothing?" I was surprised that even though there was heat in my voice I wasn't shouting.

"I don't know," said Sirius and he looked older. I felt my stomach twist, discomfort settling in but I pushed that back, dulling it to the point that it disappeared. He took in a large breath, burying his face in his hands. "I just don't know," he said, more emotion behind the words.

"I don't know either," I said. "Because it would be against everything I stand for to just do nothing."

Not mentioning the fact that I would hate myself even more. To be outclassed and then to get out of the game. I needed a victory, a clear victory against the Society, which was probably the reason my thoughts were always branching out so that I could do more.

Thinking over what the Society was doing I couldn't help but be a little jealous of what they had achieved, or at least the idea I had of what they'd achieved. It ranked me that I wouldn't be able to live up to that even in the smallest capacity.

 _You're doing it again,_ I thought. _Focusing on the larger thread of thoughts. There's a saying: Missing the trees for the forest. You're doing that…thinking on it might be the other way around but this applies._

When had that happened? It was so easy to split my thought processes, give myself a quasi different personality. Could I push that. I took a breath closing my eyes and thinking over the process, I was repressing a lot of emotions, which wasn't all that healthy, maybe I could push that to a quasi personality?

I tried it and the image was easy, forming a me that would feel for me while I kept my emotions dulled. Hopefully it would it equate itself into easier reading of people when this part of me could empathise.

 _Focus on Sirius,_ the personality quickly said. _He's hurting. He needs reassurance._

I looked at Sirius and I could see it, his features warped in dismay. What could I say to make him feel better.

 _He's worried and need consoling. The best bet is to lie and tell him you're going to stop. But he's unlikely to believe you._

I wasn't likely to believe that lie.

There was nothing I could do about this.

 _Just so you're aware, when you let go and_ feel _, you're going to hate yourself._

I stood and went to my room, leaving Sirius in silence. When I let myself feel, it was the worst feeling ever.


	60. Chapter 60

6-12

Sleep hadn't come easy the night before, with my mind running at the possibilities of what was happening to me. There was certainly something odd in it all, not how easily my thoughts were, but the new dimension to _how_ I thought.

I smarter, that was certain, but it was just so much easier to get distracted. Even with the restrictions I'd put in place, it was easy to feel the thought threads become to big; ideas forming and pushing me towards following them. It was that very reason that I was flying over another patch of Untraceable ground in the early hours of the morning.

Mundungus hadn't been the slightest bit happy about being woken enough, but the remuneration I paid him was enough that he couldn't just ignore me. We pushed forward the meeting with our ministry worker to give us locations on enchanted homes and I layered ravens around the place as I had before. Given enough time, the ravens would pick up something that _might_ be useable in my future.

It was a shot in the dark, but I was working with long term objectives and it was likely that I would need to blackmail at least one person.

The flying now was more because I enjoyed flying than anything else. It was so freeing to be able to use magic without the greater fear of the Trace. No matter that I didn't like the execution, but Su had gifted us all with more breathing room where the Trace was concerned, and with killing the Minister of Magic she'd made sure that the administration focused on the threat of war than anything else.

 _But,_ I reminded myself, putting emphasise on the thought, _the execution was_ really, really _bad._

It didn't do to forget that. There was a still a portion of Tom inside of me. Even if it hadn't played a heavy hand in muddling me up during the merge, Tom was vindictive enough that I thought he might have done _something_ to mess me up.

I dove down, unwind the transformation and feeling the air rushing past my face. I kept my arms close to my person, forcing myself to fall faster and watching as the ground got closer and closer. When it was close enough that I could make out the individual trees I rewound the transformation and spread my winds, feeling as the air weaned my downward momentum.

I went slower and flew past a branch until I was close enough that I could land when the transformation unwound. Even so I got a little too close, mentally used to a shorter body and my legs felt a rush of warm blood as they absorbed the impact. I gave myself a moment, looking around before turning on the spot, Apparating to a few locations before I was back at the Arcturus Property.

Mundungus was already there waiting for him and with him were two House-elves dressed in a dapper fashion.

"Mr Potter," he said as I approached. "Here are the Elves you asked for."

"Harry Potter?" one of the Elves said. "We be working for _the_ Harry Potter."

"Something I hope you'll be discreet about," I said.

"Of course, Mr Potter," the other said. "We be knowing that a House-elf's loyalty is to their Ma—I mean they're employer." The Elf, taller than her compatriot and wearing a prim wizard robes, walked forward and extended a hand. "I be Cadpy, Mr Potter, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Cadpy," I said taking the hand and shaking it.

The other Elf rushed forward and extended a hand. He was dressed in more Muggle attire; a black suit that was expertly tailored for his size. "And I be Cody, Mr Potter," he said with a large small and even bigger eyes.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Cody," I said with a bright smile. "Have you been told what your job will be while in my employ?"

"Yes, Mr Potter," said Cadpy, her chest puffed up and looking professional. "Cadpy will look over the items that you will be sending over the Cabinet. I will be working to catalogue everything while Cody looks into lore about the worth of each material. The information will be given to Mr Mundungus to find the buyers and sell the items, all monies will be sent your vault."

"That's about the gist of it," I said. "I might have a few odds and ends that might need doing too but I'll tell you beforehand. Right now we have to look over you contracts."

Nods were shared and we got to work. Dung pulled out Goblin grade contraction paper and a Blood Quill. The terms of the employment were written out, facets of the job put on paper as well as remuneration; with that done everything was signed with the Blood Quill and the contraction was Vanished.

"Luckily I've already done most of the work," I said. "But more should be coming in either early today or late at night."

The pair nodded and they found something to do, mainly looking over the system I'd used to catalogue everything and getting accustomed to it. Mundungus and I moved a floor up.

"Anything on Su and the other's yet? You'd think they would have done more since everything happened," I said.

"Nothing noteworthy," he said. "But there have been a spree of strange killings in parts. People acting strangely before ash is found. Aurors are investigating but with what you've told me about _him_ I think he might be trying to possess people."

Then Voldemort was getting desperate. He knew that we were after his Horcruxes and actually succeeding in destroying them. I had to wonder though, what he thought about the grander picture. Sure, we'd destroyed a majority of his Horcruxes, but there were still two pieces that would be hard to kill: The one within me and the one within Su.

Why was he panicking and trying so hard to get a new body when he still had effective immortality.

 _Dung's still here,_ a thought came before my mind could start trying to unravel it all. _Send him away so you can think._

"Thank you Mundungus," I said. "Get back to sleep."

"One more thing, Mr Potter," he said. "I found something I think is odd enough that it's worth your attention. A House-Elf did a bulk purchase from a friend of mine, all ingredients that aided the building of Golems."

Without even thinking about it I knew it was the Society. The area was opening up since the Trace had disappeared, _everyone_ and not just me, had freedom of movement, which meant I needed to get to Hogwarts before everyone left. It wasn't much of anything beyond an idea, but a part of me suspected that I had been forced to leave Hogwarts because the Society had wanted the Chamber of Secrets.

If I dawdled, I might miss any insight to what their true purposes were.

"Thanks for the info, Dung," I said. "Be sure to tell the Order this too. I want to discuss it with the others and it would betray our working relationship if I said it beforehand."

"Of course, Mr Potter," the man said and then he was off.

I took a breath and pushed, remembering something a thread of thought I'd put a pin on, figuring out Voldemort's movements. He was reckless now, by all accounts trying to seize a body, but why when he was still immortal?

Tom Marvolo Riddle. I pushed my mind into retrieving all that I knew about him, paying particular attention to his personality. Even at a young age he'd wanted to be nothing more than to be special, with the very thought of being like all the other children—and other wizards when he'd found out of their existence—grating.

There were now more of his personalities and they were doing _more._

Su was changing the landscape, forcing the Ministry into moving. There were wars in the distance because of the moves she made.

I too was in it all. I wasn't doing much, but I'd still been powerful enough that I had stopped him in trying to achieve his goals as Professor Quirrel.

All the while he was doing nothing.

All the while his achievements were starting to pale in comparison.

Voldemort wanted nothing more than to be a player in the great game. But he couldn't be a player while he was nothing more than a spectre. Finding and sustaining a body was now paramount.

I felt another thread coming into fruition, my mind drawing comparisons between me and Voldemort before I pushed it back, focusing on the thoughts at hand. Voldemort was still smart enough that he knew the way he was playing things was getting attention. Why was he still doing it, then, when there was the chance at death.

 _But not really, though, right? Voldemort can't die. Now more than ever._

He was reckless because he could be. He was weak, sure, but he was still immortal. Which meant the only reason he could be this stupidly loud was to get attention.

"Fuck," I muttered. "He's asking for help."

888

Dudley, Theo and Lily appeared from nothing. The former two with small stumbles while Lily just landed, they had four brooms with them, one being my own.

"I'll explain when we're in the air," I said as I took the broom and jumped on. They three followed after me, moving in a formation so that they would be at either side of me. Theo was the furthest off beside Lily.

I said a spell and a small white shield appeared in front of us, the thing spinning; faster and faster it spun until the very air in front of us thinned, we were no longer being hit violently, instead enough are was getting through that we were able to breathe and nothing more.

Altogether, the effect meant we were moving faster without having to push our brooms.

"I believe that Voldemort, the _real_ Voldemort is asking for help," I said. "He's trying to reclaim a body but he's doing it too loudly. The four of us will be there to try and initially capture him and, hopefully, Su."

"Just the four of us?" said Lily. "Is that wise?"

"Word has been sent to the Order," I told. "Dumbledore and another fast thinker in particular. It shouldn't take them too long to reach the same conclusion I reached and get there to help us."

"But why didn't you just tell him about this yourself?" said Theo. "I mean, don't get me wrong I love that I'm here and I'm actually going to do something after nearly two weeks, but…not the smartest plan."

"Unless he got the information in an unsavoury manner," said Lily, a hard cast to her tone.

"None of that," I said. "But there are secrets I'm keeping close to the chest. Telling you how I got the information would lead to you figuring that out. You've shown yourself smart enough that you'd be able to figure it out," I said to Lily.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Harry," she said with a small grin.

"But why didn't we invite more people?" asked Theo. "More of the Coalition?"

"We don't know who we can truly trust there," said Dudley. "With the Broker being ever present we have to be on the lookout of all the people we keep close. I picked one person I didn't think had an ulterior motive and Harry picked the other. The both of you."

Theo cooed. "Does that mean you trust me, Harry?" he said with a bright smile.

"Not really," I said and the smile dropped. "But I do trust you not to blab about this and lose a chance at fighting Voldemort."

"Hopefully this time we'll be stronger," said Dudley. "The last time we could have easily died."

"We get Voldemort quickly and we won't be outnumbered," I said. "I'm not sure if Su is as connected as I am. Hopefully not, which means we can get there a few days in front of her. But if not, then we have to hope that she's at least asleep right now and we'll get there a few hours in front of her."

"Or it could all be a trap," said Dudley.

"Which is why I told everyone to armour up," I said.

The town became clear in the distance. A small Muggle town that was in an erratic pattern I'd noticed when I'd called Mundungus back from his sleep—he hadn't been happy, but this had been important.

"Expecto Patronum," I said and Prongs jumped out. I took a breath, praying to whichever gods would listen. "Take me to Tom Riddle."

Prongs turned into a ball and flew forward.

I'd been right at least, he had been waiting for help and he hadn't seen fit to cloak himself.


	61. Chapter 61

6-13

Lily swore under her breath as we moved towards the edges of the town, where the buildings were getting larger with the spaces between them even more so. Ostentatious as ever, Voldemort was, but then, why couldn't he when he had so much power over Muggles?

"We just passed a ward schema," she said. "Nothing that was working to hurt us but I could still feel it grinding over my skin as we passed."

"How?" said Theo. "The good thing about ward schema, especially detective is that they can't be felt."

"Try being a werewolf when the full moon is nearing," Lily said under her breath. She hadn't been one in my timeline, which made me think that it had been a conscious choice on her part in this. The driving question was why she would do this to herself?

There really weren't that many enhancements that came with being a werewolf, for that matter were I in her position I would have chosen to be a vampire instead. But then again when one turned to a vampire they were effectively dead and their magical core faded. There were other powers, sure, but vampires still abided by Wizarding Law, which showed where the balance of power leaned.

Was it because she wanted the limited amount of enhancements while still retaining her magic? If so, then to what end? What fight was she expecting that she needed that extra boost?

"Prongs is slowing," said Dudley, stirring me from my thoughts. I looked forward and it wasn't a house we were moving to but the smaller house in the property.

Why? Voldemort didn't like the idea of where he'd come from, that they'd been lowly even with their ancestry. Therefore it could only be, "A trap," I said, pulling my broom to a stop. "He's calling us, it might be that he's not even in this property."

"But he knows we're here," said Lily. "The warding around the place."

I nodded, pushing my mind. "I'm reworking my thought process, looking at the larger play and being paranoid. Either this is really a trap and he isn't asking for help, or this is a test. Only the people who knew him would know that he wouldn't stoop that low as to use that place, the easier tracking might be a play towards getting attention too."

"Can't you just find him using your Horcrux bond?" asked Theo.

"I'm doing that right now," I said. "I have an image of who Voldemort is, how he functions. I'm using that to build paths into how he's thinking. But the portion of his soul inside of me knows what I'm trying to do and it's obfuscating things to make all of this harder."

"Then brute force it," said Lily, there was a cast to her tone as though she was really paying attention. I pushed all the panic back so that it wouldn't make my body show the lie.

I said, "I'm not that good in the mental arts. He very good in the mental arts. I might win the battle but lose the war with him implanting something that might mean my end in the future."

I took a breath looking around, looking at the town. "Let's fly around until something comes to me."

We flew higher, watching the town for any movement. It was still the early hours of the morning and the town was small enough that absolutely no one was awake. What would be the one place that Voldemort would want in all of this? Either he wanted the ostentatious house or a position of power.

I flew down towards the town centre and activated the Human Revealment Charm. There were three people in the place in what looked like an office. We flew down, testing for any magic and finding nothing. We entered and walked into the room with the three people, a portly looking man, and two women all of whom looked tired but were still working.

"They might be Imperiused with a mess—"

" _Friend?"_ a small voice said.

" _No, but I'm a speaker too,"_ I said in return.

" _Can I come out now? I hunger, haven't eaten yet."_

" _Yes, come out,"_ I said. A moment later a long black snake slithered out from under the desk. I reached down and it rode into my arm. _"Where do you leave? I can take you back so you can eat."_

" _I will show you,"_ the snake said.

"We'll follow the snake," I told them. We move out, keeping low to the ground because the further up we went the more the snake became confused where it was going.

The sky was just starting to rise as we reached a much larger city and found ourselves in a wood near a police station. Again we tested for wards only to find that there were none. There were police officers but they didn't pay us any attention as we moved to the first floor and into the Chief's office.

The door swivelled open as we entered and beyond sat Voldemort in a Muggle visage, lines having drawn themselves on his face and his skin looking drier than dry.

"Harry Potter," said Voldemort, "and friends, of course."

"Hello, Tom," I returned. My wand was already in my hand and so to were the others.

"There'll be no need for that," said Tom. "I'd thought that might message might fall on the wrong ears and sought to take countermeasures. Every police officer in this city has been cursed to go on a rampage if they come back to find I'm not here to remove the enchantments."

"Bastard," muttered Lily, her hands clenching into fists. A grin spread itself across Voldemort's face at that and he chuckled.

"That I am, Ms Moon," he said. "But would you have done any less if it were your life on the line?"

Lily didn't answer. A new dimension to her personality? A facet to her I didn't understand? Or was it because she knew she was unlikely to change Voldemort's mind?

 _ **Focus!**_

"You look terrible, Tom," I said.

"Not to mention desperate," said Theo. "Possessing a Muggle? I never thought _the_ Dark Lord would fall so low."

"Were it anyone else I might have felt the need to smite you were you stand," said Tom. "But I understand that I very well might lose a fight in my current dilapidated state. Leave and you have my word as the heir of Slytherin the people of this town will not be harmed."

"Okay," I said and turned to move, an idea had already formed.

"Of course," Tom added. "If Dumbledore appeared, I would take that as you not leaving and continue forward with my plans."

"So much for honour," said Dudley. "But then, what could we expecting from a lying half-blood like you?" he said, hate in the words.

Voldemort reacted though it was small, a flicker of his expression.

How could this play out? How could this play out?

We were lucky enough that Voldemort was alone and he was weak, meaning that we could effectively capture him before throwing him to the Dementors. There was the fact that he could turn into a spectre, but he was weaker then than in the Muggle body he now had.

But… "Expecto Patronum," I said, the message already in mind.

Voldemort reacted and a wand jumped from his side, flicking upward and the Patronus dissipating. He turned his wand in our direction but instead of attacking he was forcing to bring up his desk to field the blasts. It should have shattered but it didn't.

He sent if forward and smell ploughed into from Theo and Dudley; Lily pointed at the sky and a spell went off; I pressed my glasses and a sheet of light erupted, slamming into the desk—it still didn't shatter—and sending it flying back. It crashed into the opposing wall where Voldemort should have been.

"Warded the building," said Lily. "He can't get out."

"We'll have to be on the lookout," said Theo. "He's rigged this place accounting for his altered state. Not forgetting that the coppers downstairs are his."

"Let's not kill them," said Dudley, though the note seemed to be directed at Theo in particular.

"Wouldn't dream of it if it means getting invited into more of these," he said with a too large grin. "Harry, you know the way?" he said.

I nodded, the Human Revealment Charm had been activated and I could pick out Voldemort moving towards a lower floor. We broke into a sprint towards the door; I waved my wand and it didn't open, in the same instance Lily said a spell which hit the wall and caved.

We ran through into the neighbouring room, where a smoking chalice stood. "It was most likely a Port Key," said Lily as we ran. "But I can't stop a Floo Network if he has one."

"He'll have one," I said moving to the next door and breaking it down. "Three coppers and they have guns," I said stepping in and forming a three layered shield; cracks reverberated and in seconds the first of the shields was gone.

"Accio!" said Dudley but nothing happened. Theo waved his wand massive gout of wind tore through my shields, down the hall and into the coppers. They were flung back and into a wall hard enough that there were cracks; even so they still moved, fighting to get to their feet.

 _Levicorpus,_ I thought and they were grabbed by the spell. One of them reached to his side, pulled out a grenade and threw it.

"Down!" shouted Dudley, his shield brought and the rest of him jumping to form a ball behind it. Lily and I had different ideas, she called forth a shield while I pointed forward a hand; there was a detonation, not the fire I'd expected but searing light.

The world became nothing but white, but through my Revealment Charm I could still see movement. A figure moving and pointing. I didn't call up a shield, instead I pushed myself to the ground, hoping the spell had been dodge.

"Incendios Grata!" I said, wand pointed in the direction. The figure move as my wand buckled upwards; I pulled, twisting my wand and the fire vanished before it could slam into the coppers.

"More are coming up," I said. "They'll have more enchanted weapons. Voldemort's still moving, headed towards the ground floor."

"I can see," said Dudley. "I'll meet you ahead." I heard running, saw his shape moving and another following at equal speed behind it. No doubt it would be Theo because Lily was swearing beside me. She'd no doubt caught the worst of the blast with how her senses were on edge.

I saw as Dudley and Theo met a troop of coppers and fought through them. The coppers pointing while Theo and Dudley dodged, moved to point and threw at times. But there was a fight on our hands too because seven coppers were just reaching the hall we were in.

I waved my hand, forming an Imperturbable field around us.

"Expecto Patronum," I said again and Prongs flew off. I should have done it earlier when we'd known for sure that Voldemort was here, but late was better than never. Moody would here the message and he would move the Aurors, all we had to do was keep Voldemort here.

Cracks reverberated from outside but they didn't break through the barrier. The ringing started to fade and with it the _whiteness,_ minutes passed and Dudley and Theo were another floor down in the basement.

"Lily, you alright?"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she was muttering under her breath. "Now of all times?"

"Get behind me alright?" I said. "They're going to shoot the first moment I drop these shields." She got up reaching until she had her hands on my shoulders and stayed there.

The barrier dropped and a spinning shield speared forward, slamming into the crackling guns and taking the men off their feet. It wasn't a hard as Theo's had been, which meant the coppers were up and all of them reaching for their sides.

"Fumos," I said and my spoke spilled out. I sent out another air shield and started running forward; my wand waved, grabbing some and getting them to with the Levicorpus spell. "Stairs," I said and I started to move slower.

"Stop!" Lily shouted and I did, not move. "There was a click from under you. Land mine, maybe? Magically altered?"

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

Without knowing the magic that had gone into it I wouldn't be likely to escape. I could look into the magic at work but Charms were my expertise and I could sooner make the thing detonate.

 _Why had Voldemort of all people embraced his Muggle side?_

The game was changing, I reminded myself. Those that didn't adapt would be forced into the wayside. Voldemort, from the looks of it, had adapted.

"Leave me," I said. "Quickly go and help the others. I sent for Aurors with my Patronus. They'll be looking to fielding the damage but they'll also come here to investigate. Disable Voldemort if you can and then leave."

Lily, whose eyes looked red, gave a nod and moved down the stairs, keeping a hand on the wall as she moved.

I was no longer mobile but I could still be useful. It was an idea I'd been having since seeing Seamus' exploding birds but I hadn't had the time to really experiment. I let my mind run of all the individual components, altering the internal nature of my raven transfiguration and adding on the fire alteration; the sound of a gun firing went off from my wand and a bird flew out.

"Go downstairs and help the others," I said. The bird went down the stairs and I watched. Dudley and Theo were moving on the furthest floor, dodging things I couldn't see before they forced the other figure to defend.

When Lily and the bird arrived the game changed. It tried to dive into Voldemort and he made a mistake, he hit the bird with a spell and it exploded, the fire from the detonation bringing into existence more birds.

He was force to field the bird's attacks while dodging spells, what was worse, his coppers had all been dispatched. He'd put too much hope that we wouldn't fight him with the stakes, but he was too dangerous in the long term to be left alive.

One spell must have hit as he was turned over in the ground before he landed on his feet. He waved an arm and a few of me birds, those closest to him, disappeared and more appeared; another spell slammed into him forcing him to stumble back.

He twisted his wand and then there was too much light for me to see. I deactivated the Revealment Charm, feeling panic starting to seize me. He'd been cornered and he would seek to utilise the one thing he had that they didn't: Immortality.

I had an emergency Port Key hooked up to me, but the bomb might have been altered to bring the explosion with me. There building shook, the sound of crackling and shouting reverberated; the smell came soon after: Fiendfyre.

Probable death or certain death?

I didn't get the chance to make the choice as Theo appeared with his wand pointed in my direction. He waved his wand and all at once I was flung back while he turned on the spot. The bomb detonated, bringing with it a plume of fire that rapidly came towards me and the coppers.

"Home," I said and I disappeared before the fire could hit.

I quickly got to my feet, feeling my sides hurt, my arms groan and breathing coming out laboured but I pushed through; I turned on the spot and was outside the building. In the short moment that I had been gone the large snake had begun to slither out of the building.

All of this had been my idea and we still—

A dark form in the distance, a shadow flying skywards.

"Carpe Rectractum!" I screamed and a white lasso lit the sky; it wrapped itself around the shadowy form and retracted, pulling it forward and closer to me. Dudley appeared with a crack and a stumble, looking towards the building.

"How to we stop this?" he said.

"Suck away the oxygen," I said. "It won't completely stop it but it's only a matter of time before the Aurors get here. You should be gone."

"I'm not leaving it like this," he said. "Though I wish Clara was here."

There was an explosion of fire in front of us and when it faded there was nothing there. Dudley bent low and looked down at a baby phoenix.

"Not in the way I wanted," he said. "But…I really did miss you, girl," he said with a happy and yet sad smile. "I can't do anything here," he said. "I don't think I can make a transfiguration that large."

"Go," I said. Voldemort was closer and the snake was larger, it towered of the police station and started slamming into the neighbouring building. The few apartment buildings that were close had their lights on with people coming into the streets to watch, the smarter ones running.

Dudley turned on the spot and disappeared with a massive crack, calling attention to my direction. The Anti-Disapparition wards would be going up soon and though I had other emergency Port Keys on my person—Constant Vigilance—they would be bringing up a ward schema for those too while other Aurors worked on the fire and the message I'd sent.

It was only a matter of time before I was—

A soft pop and then a wand levelled in my direction. It was a blond fellow that I'd never seen before, an Unspeakable going by his attire. He looked between me and the spectre that was just reaching my side.

"This is Voldemort," I said. "And I don't have an active spell to contain him."

The Unspeakable pulled a device from his side and said a word I didn't understand, in an almost Dutch language but not completely; three more Unspeakable appeared and then five more and the twelve Aurors some moving in my directions while a lot more moved to quell the Fiendfyre.

"Mr Potter," said one man. "Why am I not surprised to see you here."

"Can we get to that later?" I said. "There's another portion of Voldemort's soul out there, the one that pushed into effect the Minister's death. We can get her tonight if I'm given a Time Turner."

My mind was working quickly; there was still a little time to move things so that they would be in our direction. A trap laid beforehand much like the one Voldemort himself had set. Three hours back and I would have prepared similar spells to ensnare her.

But all that hinged on these people believing me.

The man, large and burly, with scars crisscrossing all over his head, gave me a long look before he gestured for a thin woman with red hair. "You'll escort Mr Potter back in time. Watch him as he does whatever he'll be doing, but at the end of it all, he and I are going to have a chat in the Department of Ministries."

I didn't let my panic show, for the life of me I wouldn't let that happened.

"Three hours back," I told the woman. "But not here. It would ruin everything that happened." I lead the Apparition. She pulled out a Time Turner and turned it three times. I took a hold of her shoulder and we watched as time rewound.


	62. Chapter 62

Interlude: Su Li

"This is most definitely a trap," said Vincent. The three of them were in a drawing room in the Crouch Manor with Su in one of the reclining chairs she'd owned in her own timeline.

It was a beautiful little space, although it was ostentatious, with pictures hanging on the wall with the various ancestors of the Crouch line; a large fireplace was to their left and a fire was crackling though none of the heat reached them; there were other pieces of scattered furniture all of which was all but was in good condition.

Vincent sat straight back on large armchair with a cup of tea in his hands and Pansy was sitting just to his right with a cup of grape juice. She'd tried wine some time before but she'd gotten so thoroughly drunk that she didn't want to relive the experience.

Su looked in his direction, giving him the most dead eyed look she could manage.

"Of course I know it's highly likely it's a trap," said Su. "But that Voldemort or Harry would be going through all of this trouble is what excites me."

"You think he's involved in all of this?" asked Pansy.

"He's been out of prison for a day," said Su. "Of course he's involved in all of this. But…it just doesn't have that ring to it, you know. I've been thinking about it, how far back the killings have been going and…It's Voldemort the more I think about it. The main portion itself."

Vincent let out a long sigh. "And you'll no doubt want to speak to him won't you," he said, a tired tone to him.

"Of course I will," Su said, pushing enthusiasm into her voice. "I missed my opportunity to talk to Voldemort when he was in Hogwarts, _that_ entire thing moved too fast. But imagine the possibilities if we had him on our side."

"I've lived through them," said Pansy. "It's why Vincent and I worked to get you in your current state. Voldemort is too powerful to control."

"And you think you're controlling me?" said Su, her tone changing, anger coming to the fore before it was pushed down; thoughts that weren't her own filled her up, all the curses she could use to have the pair quivering on the ground begging for his mercy.

"Friendship is its own sort of control," said Vincent, his voice calm but a particular cast to his expression. "Voldemort doesn't know the concept of love which means he can't make friends, and thus can't be _controlled._ As we are right now, we can control each other, manipulate each other to get at our own individual ends."

"Like true Slytherins," said Pansy.

Vincent gave a nod. "Like true Slytherins," he said.

Su eased, the other part of her was still fighting to make them pay for what they'd said but the greater part could agree with it. She'd never been Slytherin, but her Ravenclaw nature had laid in watching people and how they acted. In the previous timeline, she hadn't really been able to do anything about this, hadn't had the confidence to manipulate events, but this time she had Voldemort's nature to back it all up.

Vincent continued, "This might clash with our greater plan of taking the Ministry. Voldemort will have his own ideas to moving forward. Which is why I'm asking, is it wise that we have him here? That we accept his pleading for help?"

"Can't we see this through?" she said. "I like that you're thinking big. But my mind doesn't work like that. I like seeing the small bits of chaos, spurring them into action if I can. Voldemort is a sure fire way of doing that."

"You said the same thing about getting the vampires involved," Pansy pointed out.

"That's still on the back burner," she said. "Brewing up a storm. The Courts see weakness. It's only a matter of time before one of them seizes this opportunity."

"But will we be able to use that to our advantage?" she said. "Vampires aren't the most civilised sort."

"We could spread out," said Su eagerly. "Push to doing away with the old and putting puppets in place."

Pansy quickly shook her head. "That doesn't tend to work," she said. "The moment wizards and witches get too involved in vampire business they close in and attack us. Let's leave them to do them, but keep working towards them destabilising enough that we at least stop having to worry about the Unspeakables."

"Last I heard from Hogwarts the Society had someone in the Department of Mystery," said Su.

"If they haven't been found out already," said Pansy. "That place is much like Mad-Eye Moody on Booster Potions."

"Anyway it's not our focus," said Su. "Our is chaos and don't think I didn't notice that you guys ever so gently moved the conversation away from Voldemort and to _other_ interesting things."

"In our defence," said Pansy, "it usually works." She sighed, taking a sip of her grape juice. "You want to go?"

"I want to talk to him," said Su. "Give him a powerbase so that I can see what he'll do in the present climate. Voldemort's as much an over achiever as I am, but unlike me he had different goals. I want to see where the natural limit of those goals is."

"This is the same fascination you have with Potter isn't it," said Vincent.

Su nodded. Potter was a different case entirely, too much about him making his Horcrux nature odd. Where she could borrow from Voldemort's knowledge base, his skills, Su knew that the same couldn't be said for Potter. But something had changed about his connection, she was sure of that, evident by how he moved now.

"We should have released more Horcruxes when we could," she said with a large grin. "I can already imagine it. Fighting towards different ends, some of us having conflicting goals and the trade-offs that would occur. Given long enough and the game would spread out through the entire world."

Both Vincent and Pansy were looking at her in that particular fashion she hadn't been able to quite read. There was mild curiosity there, mild anxiety, mild fear, mild happiness and other mild emotions that all came together into something Su couldn't quite understand.

"Alas we can't do that anymore," said Pansy. "On the matter at hand. You can go on your own to do this," she said. "I've still got the feeling that Dumbledore might be looking form us and after the last time we barely escaped I'm not about to take the chance."

Vincent gave a short nod.

Su shrugged, ideas were already running on the trap Voldemort would set on all the tests he would put in place before she stopped them. She moved through the house, past the minions they'd been able to gather; past the room with the potions brewing; past Crouch Senior who sat looking at a wall while his son looked at him with a manic grin; and she found her toys.

Three people all of them round about her height. She said spells and a mist appeared, creeped up past the three and clung to their forms; as more of the mist clung, it start to shift in colour, mirroring her and how she stood, what she wore and the same sort of grin she wore nowadays.

"Why don't we go out and play a little game," she said and the three gave bright nods. Human golems, the best sort of golems.

All three of them disappeared and appeared in the sky, memories shared meant that they remembered the technique and all of them broke apart into smoke and glided through the air, moving forward. She moved the last town that one of the murders had taken place, her wand in front of her and shoot Detection Spells every so often.

She met something when and stopped, reading into the spell and finding that it recorded their number and nothing more. Her mind moved to calculate as they ran across the surface of the spell until she found where the centre of the spell might be.

One of her golems flew forward while Su herself found a mirroring giving her an image of what the golem saw. It was an ostentatious house that fit well into Voldemort's personality but it was too obvious. The golem must have thought the same thing because it fired a few spells to test for an malevolent magic. When it found nothing it moved forward and into the house to find nothing.

There was also the small house at the edge of the property, which was less obvious but Su couldn't see Voldemort stooping that low. Was that the genius behind all of this?

The golem moved to the house, testing it to see if there were any wards and when there were none it went inside at once. All at once the golem's connection to the mirror was cut away and she had in her company one less golem. She'd have to find the appropriate candidate when she returned, the potions that would help things along were already in their preparation phases which meant she could have more golems in not too long.

Another place then, but it would still be here because there would need to be clues at least. She thought and the answer came: A position of power.

She found the Mayor's office and sent another golem. This time nothing happened, but the golem heard the hissing of the Snake Tongue. That would be their clue, only audible to selection of people only two of whom would be looking for Voldemort.

They had to fly low and move a town over before they were in another ostentatious house this one looking a little derelict. Su kept her distance and sent one of her two remaining golems towards the property. It landed and walked into the house, testing for magic and movement. There was only one person in the house in a room on the top floor on the opposite direction of where they were.

The golem walked in, moved through the house until it was in the room where a man stood, cracks framing his face and parts of his looking as dry as sand.

"Tom," said the golem.

"Golem," said Tom before a green curse flew through the air and hit the golem. Su allowed a grin to form and a giggle to erupt. He wanted to make this between the both of them and she just as well wanted to go. But that would have been stupid.

The other golem turned in the air and disappeared with an inward draw of smoke. She pulled out the other mirror and watched.

"Shoot a killing Curse at me this time and I will fight back," said the golem. Tom relaxed a little, his eyes blank of all emotion. "You asked for help?"

"Yes," said Tom. "As you can see, my attempt at finding a body have yet to be fruitful and since Potter stopped my attempt at getting the Stone—"

"You want help," the golem said, pushing into his face and rubbing it in. A small shift in his expression, a flash of anger that quickly disappeared. The golem let out a laugh before a Killing Curse flashed through the air, the golem was fast enough that it dodged to the side.

"You wouldn't be this cavalier except if you were nothing but a golem," said Tom. "Are you going to speak to me as an equal or should we conclude this meeting?"

The golem reflected her emotions as it let out a chuckle. "Oh, Tom, still thinking you're my equal? How deluded can you be? I've done more in months that you did in your entire life time. That you're even asking for help shows how far you've fallen."

Tom's expression went cold, his wand hand twitching. He quickly looked right before a smile appeared on him and then, out of nowhere something slammed into Su, pushing her further into the ground before she and the form started falling.

She tried to level her wand in its direction but it moved faster, slamming her wand from her grasp. A vampire, no doubt, which meant she couldn't win this. She turned on the spot, felt a hook barrowing into her before it pulled quite hard; when she landed she could feel portions of herself throbbing and blood beneath her robes.

The same could be said for the vampire but it was moving to get up. Su flicked her wrist and her spare wand appeared, fire shooting out and hitting the vampire and burning through her clothes, a woman with red hair was revealed. She lunged forward but was slammed back by a stream of light.

Su said another spell and a ball of light appeared in the sky, illuminating the innards of the house.

This had true been a trap, with the place pre-warded. But wards were easy to break if one was desperate enough.

"Pyrus Pestis," she said and a wolf of fire appeared only to immediately winked out as the air entirely disappeared. She tapped her head, forming the Bubble-Head Charm but it winked out of existence and she was left trying desperately to draw in breath.

She said a phrase to activate her Port Key but no sound carried. She moved to disable her mental barriers to mentally activate it when she knew her mistake, a mental feeler that had been continually being sent out by the vampire.

All at once the oxygen was back and Tom's, no Harry's altered form was standing in front of her with it's wand pointed.

"Crucio!" he said and with the barriers having just fallen the pain couldn't be pushed to another portion of her mind or even dulled, it was more real; electricity filling her entire body and then fire searing her bones, ice freezing her blood and her brain exploding.

She screamed, her voice quickly growing hoarse but that was nothing compared to the pain of the curse. On and on it went, destroying her mental barriers beyond what she could fix; thoughts warped as her mind retreated on itself, skirting away from the pain. Vaults worked to be built, other walls reformed but it didn't work, all of them broken.

All at once she couldn't _think_ and she knew she'd lost.

A part of her couldn't help but wonder what new chaos she would miss while working to regain her sanity.

In the real world she was laugh like a loon at all the possibilities.


	63. Chapter 63

7-01

Su was on the floor laughing with a ball of sunlight standing just over them and Lucinda skulking beyond.

 _Out of the frying pan and into the fire,_ I thought as I let my mind run. This was harder than thinking through all the avenues that Su could take, trying to predict her and putting up every countermeasure to make sure she wouldn't escape.

But at least then, I'd had time on my hands.

Now I had to think several leagues larger in the spaces of a second. If I fought here and now, it wouldn't only be Lucinda that I was fighting, but her and the Department of Mysteries, a war I couldn't win because they had more resources than I did. If I fought now, it would be the same as the Society pushing me towards being on the run because essentially I would be in hiding.

What was worse, I didn't have Dumbledore's or Moody's power. If I did, I might still achieve what I wanted to achieve while the Department were my enemies.

Lucinda's presence was felt in the background, a hammer against my thinner fore barriers. Memories brought up, conversations in my own mind all of them being of curiosity and concern.

I pointed my wand at and bore into here mind, reaching for the most prominent surface thoughts until I found something she could use before bringing her to her feet with the Imperius Curse. I cut off the ball of light and Lucinda walked in, she was just about the same height as the form I wore now, scars on her slowly healing.

"We got her," she said and I nodded. "Now you have a date with the Department of Mysteries."

"About that," I said and her expression told me she wasn't the slightest bit surprised. "I don't want to go, at least I don't want to go to the Department. There's just too many things you could do to me while I'm there that I feel unsafe by the prospect."

She smiled a little. "Mr Potter, you seem to be going by the delusion that you had much choice in the matter." She didn't take a step forward but the way she stood changed, she looked more predatory.

I could already guess she was about to lunge. I'd seen how far she could lunge and it was scary that she might reach me leagues before a spell came to mind to despatch her. If I fought this through traditional means I wouldn't be able to win.

Which was why Su was still in my grasp, her eyes white because even insane she was still fighting the curse.

"I do," I told her. "Because I'm important in the grander scheme. I know the right people. Dumbledore being chief amongst them. We both know that he'll search for me as he searched for his brother."

"The Department doesn't fear Dumbledore, Mr Potter," she said. "Now, come quietly and I won't hurt you. Let your wand fall."

I shook my head. "I've got Su Imperiused to activate her emergency Port Key. I also have an emergency Port Key. The choice is up to you who you'll choose. But when Su escapes, she'll reform her sanity and continue the work she's been doing, the very same work that required killing the Minister of Magic; while I will be going back to Hogwarts."

"I severely doubt that," she said with a small smile.

I grinned too. There was no way that Hogwarts was safe after today, but I still had to make one last appearance. I needed to talk to Headmistress McGonagall about what was coming so she could alter how things work and, more importantly, I had to talk to Professor Flamel because I was growing tired of this body.

"Ho—" Su and I started but Lucinda lunged, grabbing Su's mouth and forcing it shut, "—me," I finished and the Port Key hooked my navel, pulled and then I was twisting through the void and landing; immediately I turned on the spot thrice, activated another Port Key, ran a few leagues though it hurt, Apparated once more into the city, took a cabby to the other side of the city and then activated the last Port Key before Apparating to Grimmauld.

There I allowed myself to let out a breath of relief.

888

"You've been busy," said Sirius, _and you ignored everything we talked about the night before,_ he didn't say.

"The pieces connected and I had to do something," I said. "I didn't expect that everyone had gone mental and tossed the Statute of Secrecy out the window."

"You're not hurt?" Sirius asking, the warring expression that had appeared on him coming at ease.

I shook my head. "Small scrapes but nothing too bad. I'll have to go to Madame Pomphrey when I get too Hogwarts. I'll also have to talk to the Headmistress about the ever changing playing field. I don't want her to be surprised and Hogwarts to suffer when it all comes to a head."

"What _is_ going on?" asked Sirius. "The Trace is gone and now everyone will be moving at a faster pace. I've made contacts, part of what I've been doing when I've left the house, and I've been told that there was a bulk purchase of ingredients to create golems. I think the Society and pretty much every first year student at Hogwarts is involved."

Sirius sighed. "Why do I have the worst feeling possible about all of this?" he said.

I shrugged. "It might be because I have it too," I said. "That everyone smart enough should have it? But that's not important now, what is important is you telling me everything you can about the late Uncle Charlus."

Sirius only raised an eyebrow.

"Because I'm going to steal his identity, of course, after all, the events that culminated in his and that branch of my family's death are still wholly unexplained except that they all just disappeared."

"You're planning to bring him back with a fantastical tale?"

I nodded. "Part of the reason I have to talk to the Headmistress. I'll leave a golem at Hogwarts and then use the identity of Charlus as my main identity. It'll mean wresting a Wizengamot seat from myself," I said. "But that's about the least strange thing to happened in Hogwarts."

Sirius let out a long sigh before he shook his head.

"What a time to be alive," he muttered under his breath.

There was breakfast with Aunt Petunia and Remus, rehashing everything I'd told Sirius and how things would be moving forward. None of them were happy, but there really wasn't much that could be done since we were being forced by external forces.

After them it was another round of explaining but this time to Headmistress McGonagall. She was looking distraught by the entire thing.

"I knew," she said, "that the burdens of becoming Headmistress would be great, but I did not expect them to this level. _Every one_ of you will be leaving?"

"That's what I think," I told her. "Initially it will be slow. Golems can't perform true magic, can't learn, so they'll keep switching themselves in and out of the school. I think it would be better for your teacher's sanity that you tell them all of this because there's the possibility that the smarter older students, some with their own plots, will see what's going on and work on doing more out there."

"I'm still a little confused about something in all of this," said Professor Snape, who too was joining us. "Why is the façade still important when they have so much freedom?"

"I don't know about the others," I said. "But I'm working to become Minister of Magic when I'm older. Part and parcel of that is finishing my Hogwarts education."

I didn't add that I wanted a way in and out of Hogwarts so that I could pilfer more of the works scattered around the castle. There was money to be made and though what I wanted to do was still abstract, I knew for sure that I would need money in the long run.

Headmistress McGonagall sighed. "I will do all I can, Mr Potter. Thank you for you forewarning. And I would ask, nay, beg, that the security of Hogwarts not be questioned since your arrival."

I stopped at that. Things had been quiet since I'd left hadn't they?

"I'll try my best, Headmistress," I said. The look the Headmistress shot in my direction didn't look the slightest bit placated.

I'd arrived early enough that there was still an hour before breakfast. I broke out and moved towards the Chamber, the message already sent out to Dudley to meet me there. I was hoping that there wouldn't be a fight, and indeed if one presented itself I wouldn't participate, but it didn't make much sense to be alone.

The same message had been sent to Lily—she'd declined, she would be with Remus for the entire day—and Theo, who'd said that he was just too tired to do anything for the day. The fight with Voldemort had taken a lot out of him, that Dudley was even still walking spoke much of what he'd been doing the last few weeks.

Training I hadn't really been doing save running.

When I arrived at the head of the Chamber Dean and Justin were with Dudley. Both of them were rubbing their eyes.

"More excitement?" said Dean. "Word is starting to filter through about Voldemort's capture. You're the cause, right?"

"And Su," I said with a smile. Dudley gave me a look. "I'll have to effectively disappear after this. The Unspeakables wanted to talk to me and I bargained so that they wouldn't capture me then. But it's only a matter of time before I'm forced to disappear"

"Only a hop skip and a jump before it's the rest of us," said Justin and he sighed. "But we all knew this was coming."

The four of us walked into the girl's toilet, easily shrugging off the mental warding that pushed all the other students back. A word from me opened the toilet and we decided to take the stairs down instead of sliding.

"Where to from here?" said Dean. "Voldemort and all the evil parts of him are gone," he said with a sidelong look in my direction. "I really don't have any goals beyond that point. It's grating that I didn't even have a hand in it all when it all comes down to it."

I shook my head. "Things are far from done. We've gotten Voldemort and Su and all the other Horcruxes that could do the same thing," I said. "But there's still Vincent and Pansy. They're smarter even if Su is louder and they're pushing towards something big."

"The death of the Minister," said Justin. "You think they were the reason for that?"

"Yes," I said. "It fits in with Su, sure, but there's just too much afterwards that seems like a grab at power. For all she did, Su never even once tried grabbing for power. Most of what she did seemed more like she did for fun than anything else."

It was certainly the only reason I would think that she would even accept the offer at helping the main soul portion of Voldemort. Even now there was so much I didn't understand about her, and I would never get the chance to find out too because she was now in the Department of Ministries, where she would be studied.

We reached the bottom and moved towards the Chamber where two statues dressed in stone armour stood guard.

"They're more protected this time," Dudley murmured under his breath. "The stone will no doubt be hard to break to reach the battery. They were dumber, but there's been two weeks, they'll have thought of a way to make them smarter."

"We don't even know if they'll attack," said Harry. "Let's take it for granted that they won't." I took a breath and the walked forward. I hissed for the door to open and it did. The guards didn't move but I was on edge, waiting for the slightest motion so I could react.

There was none and I walked safely inside.

The others walked in behind me.

The Chamber had changed since the last time, with sections having been drawn out and filled with all sorts of clatter. There seemed to be lines in a golden colour, a protective enchantment that would be powerful the more time it was active.

One section was a sitting area, another was the Unspeakable's prison though it had been refurbished since the last time Harry had seen it; it was comfortable, though it didn't stop it from still being a prison. There were more guards in one section; a large device that looked like a massive cube in another; there was a giant toad in one section that was crooning the most hypnotic croak and it had smaller toads around it; but the thing that got my attention was the large device that looked eerily reminiscent of a clock.

"They've been busy," said Justin.

"What scares me is that this is the stuff they felt we could see," said Dean. "There should have been more protection if they were trying to hide something."

I nodded at the sentiment.

"So what now?" said Dudley.

"Now, I don't know," I said. "I want to know what everything is but I can't know for sure that they'll tell us the truth."

"And why wouldn't we?" said a new voice. Hermione. I turned, not surprised at all. My Revealment Charm had been activated and I had seen her coming a long ways away.

"Because secrecy seems to be you trade," I said. I was surprised by how not angry I was. But then again, she wasn't _my_ Hermione which meant I couldn't be emotionally invested in anything she did.

"We didn't know where your loyalties lie," she explained. "We still don't, but what you've been doing speaks a lot in your favour."

"Well aren't I just lucky?" I muttered loud enough for her to hear. "Are you going to tell us what all these are?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what the others do, I only pay attention to what interests me the most." She moved forward and past them. "This device is one whose construction I've been paying attention to. We call it Breach. It's still in the testing phases, but this is the device we'll be using to see the damage spread out across the timelines and, if needed, take in refugees into what's looking like a stable timeline."

"Why do you believe that the other timelines might be damaged in the first place?" asked Dean.

"Because the type of time travel that would push something like this into effect we require _a lot_ of power. Power enough that, if not controlled, it would ripple outwards causing untold damage."

"It's starting to sound more and more like a person in the Society was the one who started all of this," said Dudley. "I wouldn't even doubt you with your past."

Hermione flinched a little but she regained her composure.

"It wasn't me," she said. "And you have no other choice but to believe me," she quickly added. Another form appeared, then two and then three; other members of the Society. "It was no one in the Society as far as I can tell. For that matter, I doubt that it was anyone of us."

"Opening up the people we're searching for," I said. "Why these thoughts?"

"Unlike everyone else I've been watching mostly, putting people in positions so they can do particular things but above and beyond I sit and watch. I've been watching the greater pattern, seeing the movements of everyone in the world and see who used this too quickly to their greater advantage.

"War in places," she said. "The loudest of which is the one in Africa, but there's a much softer one in South Africa. Democracy was starting to set when it was broken. Crime in the Russian Wizarding communities are reaching an all-time high, bleeding into the Muggle world. There's word that North and South Korea are building a ward schema that will separate them from the rest of the world."

"All that has been happening in the world and we've missed it," I said feeling my stomach jump. So many things were happening, too many people taking this opportunity to get power.

"We've had our own problem," said Dudley. "Just as big and just as personal. The Ministry. The Unspeakables. The Vampires. The Goblins."

"I get it," I said with a sigh, running a hand through my hair.

Draco appeared on the other side of the door, with him were Daphne, Blaise, Neville, Padma and Parvati.

"Is the a problem here?" said Blaise, his wand was in his hand.

"No," said Hermione. "We were discussing everything. Voldemort's gone and the task that Harry has to face is all the larger. I thought it might be best if we shared information."

"All without discussing it with us?" said Daphne. "That's not how we operate."

"I got word that Harry was in Hogwarts," said Hermione and I could tell that it was a lie. From Daphne's expression she knew the same thing. "I knew he would come here and I sent the warning as fast as I could."

Daphne wanted to say something, but she held her tongue. I could see how it was playing out: Hermione had done something wrong but Daphne couldn't really call her out on it with us present. They had to show that they were together in this and everything.

"So, the Collective and the Society working together," said Dean. "This is going to be fun. What now?"

"Now, we wrest control from the Department of Ministries," said Hermione. "It's only after the fact that we can truly begin working to achieve possible saving others in our timelines."


	64. Chapter 64

7-02

The conversation with Hermione had been something else, shaking me from how I thought I would move forward and forcing me to rearrange my plans. There was a power in being the Boy-Who-Lived that I couldn't lose, which meant becoming Charlus Potter had to be put in the back burner while we worked on taking down the Unspeakables.

It was my own achievement, which was a little grating, but I'd worked in apprehending both Voldemort and Su, which meant I was still riding off that high when I thought about the future.

Fifteen minutes before breakfast and I was in my room in Slytherin, reworking the wards and looking over my belongings. The room, thankfully, didn't look dishevelled, but my stuff was out of place and I had to work to fix them.

When I got to breakfast ten minutes later than everyone else, it didn't look the slightest that anyone noticed that I was there because they were all looking at their newspapers. But when one person saw me, murmuring to their friends, it was a wave of looks and whispers that were directed in my direction.

Unbidden, one older girl jumped from her seat, ran at me—I had to hold off on the impulse to grab my wand—and tackle me with a hug, all the while muttering thank you under her breath for avenging her father. Around her a few others had broken into sobs while the cries of my name were being shouted, the Weasleys taking the lead.

All of it together gave me something of a heady feeling. A part of me was surprised that the news had already gotten out, more in particular that I had been there, but that was likely the Herald's work, Hermione's work.

As I fielded the hugs, shaking a few hands, my mind ran at what she could be trying to achieve. Even with this information out there I could still get disappeared. Lucinda had seen the grade of golems that Su could build and they still had her in custody which meant her information would now be their own.

I felt a thrill of panic, but I pushed it down. At the time I had been more concerned with saving my own hide than them really finding out what we were and the scale with which we worked. But it would certainly make things harder, they would be more cautious and they would certainly stop underestimating us.

Ten minutes before breakfast ended and I disentangled myself from it all, moving to the Hufflepuff table. Dudley wasn't there, but Justin was and I could sit beside him. He pulled out a pen from his pocket and clicked it. Conversation around us dulled and became fuzzy, the inverse was probably true.

"Dudley's looking after Clara," he said handing me copies of the Herald and the Prophet. Both of them had similar pictures, a giant snake in the background trying to attack while a myriad of Aurors and Unspeakables fired spells in its direction. But in front of all that was Voldemort's spectre in golden gloved hand of an Unspeakable.

I quickly read through everything and the details the capture. Both papers credited me for the capture, though none could say how I had found out about Voldemort's whereabouts; they described how an Auror with a personal relationship to the Boy-Who-Lived had been contacted with the location and Voldemort's countermeasures.

Going further into detail of how the Aurors had quickly armoured up, prepared for any eventuality. They'd spanned out, protecting the Muggles of Wells from Muggles that Voldemort had conscripted to serve as distraction, while a majority of the Ministry's forced worked to quell yet another burst of Fiendfyre.

Word from me had yet to be taken as I'd left as soon as the Aurors had arrived.

All in all it painted me in a good light. I was more set, now, harder to move, and it was in the best interest of the Ministry to ally with me. Which would ultimately make it easier to win over putting more restrictions on the Department of Ministries through diplomacy.

I had my breakfast in the quiet before my first class. Everything was as normal as it could be for someone who'd disappeared and been kidnapped for a few weeks, spent a few nights in prison and interrogated and just as quickly from his released worked to capture the Dark Lord.

From the First Years there wasn't much awe, but from Second year and above I had to field requests for me to retell how I'd captured Voldemort, what I'd felt and where Dumbledore had been in all of this. I didn't answer much, citing that anything I wanted out there would be in the Herald or the Prophet, and pretty soon in a book that I would be writing—it was a long way away, but I could make as much money as I could from all of this.

I made a mental note to actually start working on that front instead of just letting it join the other goals that were starting to fill my mind and effectively go nowhere. But more than anything I was sure that at the end of my Hogwarts career, the position of Minister of Magic would be open to me.

But that was still some time away. The season hadn't even changed yet. All I had to do was ensure that I didn't royally mess things up in the future.

"All that work, almost dying and you get all the credit," Theo muttered as he slid beside me.

"You're upset about that?" I asked coolly.

He snorted. "Not in the least," he said, a grin spreading. "I almost died last night. I almost died last night!" he shouted, his words cut off by his barrier. His too was like the one Justin had used.

"You should have been, there," he said, moving much like a child reciting his team's Quidditch win. "Spells flying and me dodging. Dudley was amazing, and then Lily got there and we had him on the ropes. Spells hitting him. Him trying to fire back at us before those birds of yours got in the way—"

He let out a long sated sigh.

"Last night was the best time I've had since I fought Dumbledore," he said. I gave him a look at that. "Long story," he said. "But he was poisoned which is probably the reason I almost won."

My eyebrow rose further. "You can't just leave me with that," I said, my tone of exasperation. "Tell me more. Fill in the details."

"Maybe when I fill like revealing my backstory," he said. "But suffice to say I'm going to stick close to you, Harry Potter, if you can hook me up with more fights like that."

"I think at this point everyone's sticking together," I said. "The Society is providing the materials to create golems for a favour. If you want out of Hogwarts, that is. I will be. I don't think there's anything left for me to really do here."

He shook his head. "I'll have some at home," he said. "I'll sneak out and build it before stowing it here tomorrow. Heard the news about the Society. You buy it?"

"I really don't know," I said. I smiled at a girl that smiled at me. She looked like she was a Sixth year but I could have been wrong. "But if we want to take down the Department of Mysteries they'll be the biggest asset."

Theo groaned. "This is going to be a talking thing isn't it?" he said. "Social engineering and that sort of thing. Gathering allies."

"What else do we have to do?" I said.

"Take down Vincent and Pansy of course," he said. "They're much more fun than putting restrictions in place for the Unspeakables."

"I doubt it," I said. "I don't think Vincent and Pansy are as confrontational as Su was. When they're trying to make a power grab, they'll do it through deceit, blackmail and healthy smatterings of the Imperius Curse."

"Then you have the Vampires above all that," said Theo, "and the Goblins." He groaned a long groan. "Everything has been gearing towards diplomacy hasn't it? Concessions being made by the right people? Attacks in strongholds to show we're still powerful."

I shrugged. "I'm not good at that sort of thinking," I admitted. "I'll follow the Society's lead on this but continue working towards what I want. Chief amongst it all is finding out about how we got here."

"Can we even find that out?" said Theo. "I mean, we're not Ravenclaws. We're Slytherin. We work through people. But _this,_ finding that out with such a wide spread of targets?" He shook his head. "I don't think it'll be going anywhere. For all we know whoever put this into effect died because they overreached, or they've been disappeared."

"You sound like you've thought about it."

"Of course I've thought about it," he said and he sighed. "There's really no evidence where this all started. There's no past data of something like this even being done before which means we every theory we put forward won't even be that, it'll be a hypothesis.

"All of this will be made harder by the fact that we're working with infinites, something I don't think the human my can conceptualise much less try and break down. What we're left with is just shots in the darkness trying to figure all of this out. Looking at who benefits the most, but that in and off itself isn't clear because how do we define benefit?

"My timeline was a mess and I have enough reason to want this change," he said. "Your timeline was better, but people you loved died which means you could have wanted this. Dudley had to lead an army and with how he fought against Voldemort, how he knew his moves before he made them, he no doubt lost a lot of people. _He_ had reason to put all of this into effect.

"On and on and on," he said. "The pattern is that we're all royally screamed in whatever iterations of the timelines. All of us had hardship and maybe we're stronger for it, but it gives us all reason to want to go back in time and fix it."

"But we're not all smart enough to figure out how to travel back in time," I said, my mind rebelling against the notion. He was right, it was too large a list of suspects when it was likely every eleven year old that had had some connection to me.

But then, I was the common feature in it all. Me and Dumbledore and Voldemort.

But was that really true? Or was it something Hermione, Dudley and I had hypothesised with limited information?

"Did I die in your timeline?" I asked Theo. "Did I save you and die in the process? Did you fight Voldemort and was Dumbledore the reason you fought Voldemort?"

Theo seemed to be caught off guard but the questioning and he shook his head. "You did die in my timeline," he said. "But you were a resistance leader. I was a mole, working in Voldemort's rank after Snape was killed. When I fought Dumbledore it was to get closer to Voldemort because most of his Horcruxes had been found and you were going to kill yourself. The reason I chose to be a Resistance fighter was because I saw the way Voldemort treated my Dad and I hated it."

"Fuck," I muttered again. We had been working with the wrong hypothesis which meant I very well might not be the common link in all of this. Ron hated me here because of something I'd done in his timelines. I hadn't thought about it, too caught up in Voldemort and doing _something_ that I hadn't questioned it.

I looked around until I saw him talking to Blaise. The former noticed and gestured in my direction. Ron turned to face me. I stopped and so did Theo, waiting until they were in our bubble.

"Why do you hate me?" I asked. No manipulation. No beating around the bushes because my mind wanted to figure out every aspect of this mystery. "What did I do in your timeline?"

"You were the Dark Lord," he said, and there was anguish and hatred in his eyes. Taking in the rest of him I had the thought that he might pull out his wand at any second and start shooting spells at me.

He was connected to me. A natural consequence of the both of us going to Hogwarts. But I'd rationalised the others by stating that in a multiverse of infinite timelines then there were an infinite variations and every possibility that I would come across every eleven year old. That was still true even now, but it had limited how I interacted with the greater mystery.

It had been safe, convincing me that this mystery could still be solved. But as I stood now all of that was washed aside and in its place was…nothing.

I looked at Theo, the pieces of his personality all coming together. He wasn't driven by anything, instead he wanted to have fun because what did you do in a timeline that wasn't your own? What did you do when everyone you'd loved was gone and there was only a small chance that you'd ever see them again?

More pieces fit in. Su and how she functioned, the same as though but with the grandiose nature of Voldemort. She'd wanted to have fun because she'd figured it out pretty quickly, that there was no going back.

My emotions warred, my mind starting to unravel before a small spark shone: The Society and their machine.

But then that was quickly dashed aside because to find the timeline I'd left I would have to empty the ocean with a teaspoon…no, even that was too large where infinity was concerned; it was more akin to empty the ocean with a spoon smaller than the smallest particle.

My mind started to unravel a little more before a part of me started to work: I pushed down all the emotions, pushed down all the tethers so effectively that they almost didn't exist. At some point maybe I would hate forgetting the people of my timeline, but it was surely better than _feeling._

888

AN: Fuck I'm horrible. I don't know why and I didn't push the story in this direction but it just happened. At least something good happened a few chapters back before this turned, at least subjectively to Harry, grimdark.

Whether there'll be light at the end of the tunnel is something that will become clear, to me even, as the story progresses. But really, _infinity._ We're talking about an _infinite_ amount of timelines.


	65. Chapter 65

7-03

"There are a few ways this can go," said Hermione. I don't know why, but I'd gravitated towards her even though she wasn't really my friend. She, Dudley, Clara, Steve and Hedwig. Unlike the both of us, Hermione didn't have a pet, but she'd conjured a few puppies which were playing around her.

"You can be like Su," she said. "Causing an untold amount of chaos for the giggles; you can be like Theo, who's locked himself down and only allowed himself to feel the thrill of adventure; or you can be like me, looking in every direction for the smallest amount of hope that we can go back."

My mind had finished locking down my emotion, but I was still horrible at Occlumency. Reworking my mind like that had forced my barriers to chip, which meant the feelings were there as I'd slept; memories had started to plague me of people close to what I knew, my kids; and then there were the feelings all coming around to the fact that I would likely never be with them again.

"You can still have hope?" I said with a sardonic chuckle. I was working to stamp down the emotions but they found their holes and kept rising to the surface. "I thought you were smart, Hermione."

"I am smart," she said and she sounded rather tired of that fact. "Which is why I can still fool myself into having hope. Magic is…big, there's too much about it we don't understand, so much wizards haven't even though about understanding. But we're in the special position where we have no other choice but _to_ figure it all out."

She sighed and took out her wand, pointing it at her throat. There was a small light before it blinked out.

"That machine is just one thing we're working on," said Hermione. "We're looking into all kinds of magic to helping us in all of this. Which is the reason we all want the Department of Mysteries under our control. They haven't figure out a lot, but they know enough about time to manipulate it through Time Turners; they know enough about the brain and memories that they've started trying to build artificial brains; they've investigated what it means to _die_ and what the Arch really is.

"But we have our own curiosities," she went on. "Take Clara for instance," she said gesturing towards the small bird which was in Dudley's lap. "She was able to shunt herself through infinite timelines, using whatever strange bond exists between phoenix and master—" Clara gave an indignant, although adorable, squeak at that, "—to find you. With this knowledge a sect of the Society will investigate this and how we might be able to use it as a beacon."

"Much like finding people through the Patronus Charm?" said Dudley.

Hermione nodded. "There are so many strange features of magic that we don't understand. But us, we who are stuck here when we have lives elsewhere, we're being forced to consolidate all of that to finding a way home."

All things my pessimistic mind hadn't thought about, but even now all of it seemed thin.

"How long?" I asked and Hermione's expression flickered. "How long do you estimate before anything comes into fruition?"

"The safe guess," she said and she sighed. "The safe guess is hundred and fifty years in the least. That's not taking into account the political manoeuvring, the wars that might come into fruition and how they will affect us."

"I'm starting to see a good reason why the Chinese are putting out a wall," said Dudley. "It stops them from caring about the greater world. They can just focus on going back to their times. If they're even planning that much."

"That limits us," said Hermione. "We're in the realm of science now and scientists share knowledge. It's the only way we might able to cut down the timeline. Particularly since its seeming more and more like we'll have to work with Muggle scientists to gather power."

Dudley let out a long sigh. He'd been quiet for the longest time and I felt a surge of self-loathing because it hadn't taken even a few hours before I'd told him; got him thinking the same thoughts as I was though it was hard to tell if he was really affected.

"There's another option," said Dudley. "One I think all but a few of us are missing." Hermione and I looked at him at that. "Distractions that go nowhere," he said. "Voldemort is effectively out of the game," he said to me in particular. "You don't have to get involved in it all anymore. You've done what you could and no one expects anymore from you."

"But—" I started only for him to shake his head.

"What do you love doing?" he asked me. "Really think about it? What do _you_ love doing. Be as selfish as you can."

My first thought was spending time with my kids. But I couldn't have that here.

My second thought was helping people. But that would defeat the point of all this.

I let my mind run free, thinking it over and "Quidditch," I said. "But I don't think that's going to work towards distracting me in the long term."

"You could buy your own team," said Hermione with a shrug. "I have the Herald and though a lot of it is searching for stories, having the right people in the right places. The smaller aspects, deciding on the aesthetic, which stories to run and that sort of thing. Those really help to keep me sane."

Maybe my crime ring could help me towards the same thing?

"You can still do the big things," said Dudley. "But sprinkle a few smaller things in there that make you happy." He sighed. "Harry, this is a fact and nothing else. You have the potential for great destruction if you go crazy. It's in all our best interests if you didn't. You _are_ going to do this."

"I will," I said. I'd seen what Voldemort and Su could accomplish with their insanity. I didn't want the same fate to befall me. When I got some breathing room, I would by the Chudley Cannons, maybe get on Ron's good side too.


	66. Chapter 66

7-04

"Mr Potter," said Mundungus. "I didn't think you'd have a moment to breathe after everything happened. Not for another month at least."

He was sitting on a rather comfortable looking chair in one of the rooms upstairs in the Property. I'd been handling things for the past two days, between possible meetings with Prophet and Herald correspondents, and other meetings between Draco and Neville. In that time he'd had time to refurbish a room for himself.

"Just barely," I said. "You know that there's a Lethifold running through this place?"

"Now you tell me," said Dung and he chuckled. "Lucky for me, Mr Potter, learning to cast a Patronus was one of the first things the Order taught me…not that they'll be likely to trust me anymore."

"Dumbledore figured it out?" I asked.

"Dumbledore is still dealing with the _other_ Dumbledore," said Dung. "No, I think it's either Mr Moody or Mr Black. They know you and they know me, Mr Potter. It was easy to see the line."

"If it were Sirius I don't think you'd be here to talk to me," I said and sighed. "That opens up problems. They're probably thinking if you could work for me, why wouldn't you be working for someone else."

"My thoughts on the matter as well," Dung said. "As it stands, the…Voldemort, threat is gone and I doubt I would have had much of the leeway being in the Order afforded me during wartime. It's easier to keep my employment with you."

I smiled. "Smart," I said. "Scary smart being honest. Have you gotten information about competition?"

He nodded and pulled out a scroll. There were names on it, about thirty in total with lines connecting them, _relationships._ All together I was surprised by how relatively little crime there actually was: Unregulated growth of illegal plants; illegal potions being sold; dark artefacts being made and sold; magical animals being smuggled into the country (something quite easy with border control being so lax); and some people that were into petty theft and muggle baiting.

"How good are the quality potions that are in the market?" I asked. Dung made a so-so gesture. "We'll need to get people, potion makers that produce better quality product. We'll also have to ramp up the number of people that get attacked when they buy off of our competitors."

"That's going to look suspicious, isn't it?" said Dung. "A new supplier and the previous showing its true colours?"

I shrugged. "We'll make it work. How goes the work we've already put into it? Anything of worth?"

Dung gave a nod. "Some of the things are old," he said. "Old enough to be from the time of the Founders. They might not _work_ but the fact that they're artefacts from that time mean they're great for bragging. I've already sent out feelers to the right ears."

"That's good," I said. "What about our working staff? Anyone of worth?"

"That's still hard," he said. "I can't really tell them what we're doing since _I_ don't know what we're really doing beyond just shots in the dark. There are interested parties though, but, as with these things, it might be because they want to see who's pulling the strings."

"Let's play up how deranged I am," I told him. "It weeds out the people that might run when this gets dangerous, when eventually it does, it also gives me indirect permission for what I'm planning to do to make sure of their loyalty."

I sighed, letting my mind run free. I needed a measure of power because though I would be working with the Society, the power I had wasn't tangible. Hermione had the Society, Dudley and the Collective, and I had…nothing. I'd won against Voldemort and I could be proud of that, but I still wasn't satisfied by it all.

My pocket vibrated and I pulled out the watch.

"My moment's gone," I said. "Keep up the good work, Dung. I still have to deal with the world out there."

"Of course, Mr Potter," said Dung.

888

There was security in the Ministry and, quite uncomfortably, there were Unspeakables milling about making sure that their presence could be _felt._ There was a bit of security in why I was here now, but considering the full depth of magic I was scared that I might get disappeared here.

Rubble was strewn but it was slowly being cleared out. The problem with magic was that the stone in this place was enchanted to the point that it couldn't be cleared with just a wave of the wand. It meant that the rebuilding would be an arduous process.

"Would you please remove the _other_ wand on your person?" said the security guard. He looked bored but there was a look in his eyes of one that was steeling themselves through Occlumency.

"Of course," I said and I pulled out the wand. It wasn't my real wand. I'd gotten too paranoid to _just_ have two wands, particularly to carry the wand that tied all my lies together to the Ministry of Magic.

"It's illegal owning more than one wand at a time," the security guard said. "Except if you're and Auror, Unspeakable or have special permission."

"I know," I said and I sighed. "But can we overlook this for now? There isn't an active Minister of Magic and with…"

"I understand, Mr Potter," said the security guard. He put the wand into a contraption which spat out a slip of paper with words written through it. He pocketed the slip and gave me back my wands.

I entered the lift and descended. It felt odd to be in this cramped space, in the heart of it all, and being worried that someone might step out of the shadows and carrying me off into the Department of Mysteries, but this was worth the risk. It was a long way down before the lift opened and my first sight was a set of Unspeakables standing guard.

I couldn't help that my wand found my hand and they noticed, giving me looks as I slowly walked past them and into a room already filled with the Wizengamot. There were a lot of people I didn't really know, names that I connected to faces, but beyond that even with the work I was supposed to be doing with Neville and Draco I couldn't really tell their worth where politics was concerned.

Looks were directed at me as I entered, even the Unspeakables shifting a little as I entered, _why_ I couldn't tell. My heart almost stopped when I saw Lucinda within it all, talking to Madam Bones. When she saw me she gave me a small smirk, her eyes shining.

All of it culminated in me feeling the worst sort of bad feeling I could ever feel.

I found my sit beside Sirius and watched as more people arrived, found seats and talked to the people around them. There was an atmosphere in all of this I didn't entirely understand and, I was surprised, I didn't really care to understand. With all of the upgrades that had come from merging with Voldemort and just wanting to _do,_ this didn't fall in line with that.

"I think that's about everyone," said Madam Longbottom. "I call this meeting into action." She tapped her wand and there was a clang. The lady to her right started jotting down. "The first matter of business, the Minister of Magic. It's been close to a week since Minister Fudge's death and it's about time that someone starts running the country. The candidates as they stand are, Madam Bones and Misters Scrimgeour and Crouch. Shall we vote—?"

"Wait," Draco interrupted. "Before the voting begins. I petition that Mr Crouch be stricken from consideration as temporary Minister of Magic."

"What is the meaning of this?" said Crouch with the right amount of affront.

Dobby, who was beside Draco, snapped his fingers and folders appeared in front of us. In them there were records of a team of former Aurors who had been stationed at Azkaban and reports from three of an elicit act.

"This isn't true," said Crouch, "and that you would use such a trying period in my family's life—"

"That's neither here nor there, Mr Crouch," said Draco. "What I want is the correct person leading our country, especially with everything going on with the Goblins and the Vampires quite possibly. This could be used against us, a connection between Mr Crouch and Voldemort that might, at the wrong moment, mean we lose the people that will no doubt want to enlist for the army we'll no doubt be trying to build."

"Army?" said a woman, whose name I didn't know. "What is this?"

"The tides are changing," said Draco. "Too much is happening around the world and it doesn't make sense that we wouldn't be moving in preparation. China, Russia, Africa and quite possibly America. They're all shifting and it's worrisome for the future. This makes the most sense when I look at it."

"Mr Malfoy is correct," said Madam Bones. "Not about Mr Crouch that isn't something I know yet, but about the world shifting around us. We've been able to only do with the Department of Mysteries as our mainstay protecting against foreign threat after the war with Grindewald. But that won't do. There's only so much that the Unspeakables can do against number, there's only so much we can do with the grade of Aurors we had lost to the war with Voldemort. An army makes the most sense."

"I think," said Dawlish, "that if that is the case, then Mr Crouch is the perfect person to take the helm. He fought quite fiercely against Voldemort in the first war."

"Not to mention that these allegations are unfounded," said Mr Crouch.

"That can be easily proved," said Draco. "Muggles have tests that they can do, ones that we don't know enough of to fake except for a few Muggleborns that don't have a seating here. But for them, we'll have to have the body."

"You would—" he started only to be interrupted.

"Yes, I would," said Draco. "This is for the good of the country and I'm willing to look the fool if it means that the country isn't the worst off for it."

"These allegations are quite serious," said Madam Bones. "It would be best, before everything moves forward, that we enlist the Unspeakables to carry out and investigation—"

"No," said Mister Crouch. "The Unspeakables are in your pocket and we all know that," he said. "Just as we all know that the Auror Corps is in Scrimgeour's pocket. There's too much of a chanced that, miraculously, these allegations will be found true by your teams and I'll be out of the running."

"Three teams running independent investigations," said Madam Longbottom, tapping her wand against the stand and elicit a deep rap. "I'd like that things move along quickly," she said. "As has been stated, we have the matters of the Goblins and the Vampires and we need someone taking the helm. The minutia of it will be discussed between all who are interested in that particular affair but with the list so long I'd like us to move on to other matters."

With that there was a shift. The next meeting was from a member of an Unspeakable sect who wanted to develop a new technology that would place a ward schema around Wizarding Britain, it would stop Apparition and Disapparition, more especially it would stop Portkeys except through specific points that would be tightly controlled by the Ministry of Magic.

The bad thing was that it would take a lot of money from the coffers of the Ministry, something that was especially hard when there were preparations for war going on. It meant the possibilities of increases taxes which the greater public wouldn't love.

"The next matter at hand is a Wizarding Bank," said Scrimgeour.

"There already is a bank," said a woman.

"A Goblin bank," said Scrimgeour. "When the Goblins smell weakness. It's only a matter of time before enough pressure is exerted on them before they start making things hard for us."

"There's no precedence for that," said the woman. "There have been wars with Goblins before and Gringotts hasn't done anything for that…except, of course, if we're trying to control the country's money." She shook her head. "With the amount of mismanagement that has gone on in this Ministry I don't think this is the right thing to do."

A grin spread on my face and Sirius beside me couldn't hold back his chuckle. There was a general shift which ran through the room, most of the Ministry working souring in their expressions.

"Be that as it may," said Scrimgeour. "It's a priority worth considering with the gravity it deserves." He pulled out his wand and tapped a folder in front of him. Another folder, thicker this time, appeared in front of me. Too many pages that I could read it and understand it now. "That will outline the plan that will put the matter forth, to be voted on at our next meeting."

"So much reading," I muttered to Sirius. "I'm starting to really understand what Theo said to me."

"I don't know what that means," Sirius said to me.

"Tell you later," I told him.

The next matter, Lucinda stepped up. "The next matter of discussion is the matter of Voldemort and the investigation thereof," said Lady Longbottom.

Lucinda looked over us, she didn't stop to look at me but I had the feeling that she there was weight when she looked in my direction.

"Thank you, Madam," she said. "As everyone in the room will know, four days ago, through the work of Mr Potter, we managed to capture the entity that called itself Voldemort. This matter has already been sent out through the news, and if that was your main source of knowledge, you'd think the main entity was the one inhabiting the body of young Su Li.

"This," she said. "is not true. Instead there were two entities who are Voldemort. As we've come to understand, he split his soul and created a Horcrux, with a sliver of Voldemort's soul infecting Su Li. The main investigations are still underway, but we are working with the hypothesis that Voldemort didn't just split his soul _once,_ but has done so enough times to infect the entirety of this year's first year class."

 _Fuck,_ I thought, but at the same moment a snort ripped through me that turned into a guffaw.

"Mr Potter, please control yourself," said Madam Longbottom.

"I'm sorry," I said, pushing down the guffaw. "It's just that…I believe that we've given the Department of Mysteries a little too much power," I said. "Is it a known fact, I wonder, that Unspeakables were at Hogwarts when Professor Quirrell died and that they attacked myself, Draco, Dudley and Lily Moon."

"Careful, Mr Potter," said Dawlish. "You're starting to sound a little guilty with your supposed defence."

"A moment," I said. I reached into the folds of my robes and pulled out a shrunken folder which grew. I pulled out my wand and tapped it, a Gemini Charm on the thing that made its copies across the room. "I'm on the table for today," I said to Dawlish. "The matter I was going to discuss."

"You're still not permitted to speak, though, Mr Potter," said Madam Longbottom. "Unspeakable, you may continue. Do you have any proof of this? Or any way to prove it?"

"Yes," said Lucinda. "It's the simple matter of getting blood from each of the students in Hogwarts."

"Page seven," I interrupted, "paragraph three if I remember correctly."

"Mr Potter," Lady Longbottom reproached. I raised my hand in surrender, even so she looked, searched through and then looked up. "Mr Potter states that, through the capture of Voldemort, you now have in your possession a method of creating golems that can perform magic. He goes on to say that these are the same golems that meant Dumbledore killed that child.

"He further says that since he doesn't know the magic that went into creating these golems, it's safe to think that it might use the most intrinsic of properties, which is blood. He concludes that the Unspeakables might find a way to ask for his blood, or his person, to create said golem."

Madam Longbottom paused, pursing her lips.

"Reading back, Mr Potter thought that the Department of Mysteries might be after him, I gather," she said.

"I think I might know the reason," said Lucinda. "It's because Mr Potter was supposed to come into the Department for questioning on the night of Voldemort's capture to discuss the events that culminated in us capturing him."

"Is this true, Mr Potter?" asked Madam Longbottom.

"It's true," I said. "I didn't trust, though, that I'd make it _out,_ so I've been drawing up that little thing while making sure to keep myself in Hogwarts until everything's settled."

"Which makes sense looking back into Harry's history by the Ministry," said Sirius. "This might be another ploy to put him back in prison. Except this time without worry since you have access to this sort of magic."

"Let it be known that we don't have access to this magic," said Lucinda. The shine in her eyes was gone now. "Voldemort's spectre is hard to get anything from which means the only source of information we have is Su Li, who was tortured to insanity and it thus means more time until we can extract her memories."

"The problem with the Ministry has always been oversight," I said. "We can't really be sure if what they're doing is above board because of all the secrecy behind it all. With all that secrecy it means that accountability is something we can only hope is there."

"You seem to be missing the part where this was public instead of cloak and dagger," said Madam Bones.

"That's because this is me," I said. "Because I'm entrenched. I know there's a chance that I might get disappeared and I've taken countermeasures to make sure it's messy. By doing this I can't help but think they've got another angle to work through this."

Lady Longbottom took a long breath before she pushed it out, closing her eyes and running a hand at her brow. "This back and forth," she said. "Like the matter relating to Mr Crouch, I think this would be best done by an independent source. The threat that a portion of Voldemort still lives is too grave to ignore.

"But Mr Potter also raised a good point about the amount of leeway we've allowed the Department of Ministries. Before, all operation have been matters in other countries. But we've been forced more and more to rely on them, it means that with the new role, responsibilities, there should come an era of accountability."

"Seconded," said Draco.

A small victory, but it got boring as they got down into the minutia of it all. Discussing committees that would have to be formed to investigate the Department of Mysteries and the powers they would have. Then it turned to the people that would handle the testing for Horcruxes in our year, the Oaths that would need to be put in place and the wording of it all.

We broke for lunch and then returned to it all. Discussing matters such as the investigation of Draco's allegation against Crouch and, finally, the matter of my receiving an Order of Merlin First Class.

"It's primarily the Minister of Magic who hands them out," said Lady Longbottom. "But, with matters as they are, I'll be the one to hand it out to you tomorrow. We'll inform the press."

I nodded at her. "The reward?" I asked.

Another man spoke, "You already received a reward, Mr Potter," said the man. "For something that wasn't entirely complete. With the budget as it stands, all the extra costs, the Ministry can't afford to give you money for something you, supposedly, already did."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter at any rate."

"With that, I call this meeting to an end," said Lady Longbottom and she tapped her wand.

888

AN: I feel a little dirty doing this, but…Yeah, I need the figurative word of mouth. I've started up a new story, not fan fiction, but original fiction. The story is on Wattpad, titled Crystal Fighters: It's about a guy just out of high school and trying to find purpose in the world.

It's set in an Earth that diverges from our history two hundred years ago when crystals granting powers. The world doesn't have heroes and villains, instead it has people with powers, a majority of them rich or are criminals.

The protagonist plays no part in this, wanting to be as far away from it all as possible. Or at least that's what he consciously believes.

The first arc is almost done with one more chapter up that will be posted this Wednesday (chapters are posted once weekly every Wednesday,) and it should give the gist of where the story is headed without spoiling anything concerning the first arc.

It's on www wattpad com/364831227-crystal-fighters-attributed-importance-1-01


	67. Chapter 67

7-05

"That went about as well as could be expected," said Draco as he took a drink from a cup of tea. He, Sirius and I were seating in a tea shop in Diagon Alley. It was overcast, with the scent of rain in the air, but there were enchantments in our seating area that would stop the rain.

Sirius and I both took that moment to let out a snort, with Sirius even coming close to spitting out some of his tea. The server took that moment to bring in our confectionaries and there was a quiet moment until we the man left. Sirius brought out his wand and waved it, putting up privacy enchantments around us.

There were seven distinct spells and by paying particular attention to the wand motion I could see the wards he was creating. I pulled out my own wand and added a few other layers. The importance of this game and our opponents didn't elude me, which meant I had to be properly paranoid.

Draco was watching me closely as I moved my wand, when I stopped, the array finished, he looked confused.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he said, shifting a little. I could see it in his eyes that there was something there, something he was hiding and I was missing. Was it important, I wondered, but before the thread of thoughts could continue I stamped it shut.

"We made the first move," I said. "Just as _they_ were making the first moves. It helps us at least. Everyone's aware now and they're paying attention to how much the Department of Mysteries has been doing."

"It won't do much," said Sirius. "There'll be paying attention, but if the Department of Mysteries acts there really isn't much they could do to stop them." Sirius took a breath. "During the war with Voldemort we were devastated, with the one lasting _force_ that we had being the Department. I'm sure they would have been fortified at this point, they would have grown autonomous in a respect."

"So, you're saying, what we're doing is a losing war?" said Draco.

Sirius shrugged. "I think so," he said. "But then, I'm not the rest of you. I'm not a time travellers, I'm not pushing forward my machinations."

"But you're a Black," said Draco. "You know how to play the games."

Sirius shook his head. "I never was much for the games," he said. "Neither was my brother for that matter. He was…Gryffindor more than me in a respect. He fought vehemently for what he believed in, even if it wasn't what _I_ believed in. It wasn't in the same vain, but Regulus and I didn't play the games, we left those to your mother, Draco, and Bella and Andromeda."

Sirius' expression played out a whole host of emotions as he said each name, the effects of the Dementors but also a happiness there. In my timeline, Sirius had hated his family, or at least what they'd stood for, but even when then there must have been good moments too? When the divisions of the Houses were overlooked and they were family.

Sirius shook his head, vehemently this time. "I've never been smart," he said. "At least in this regard. Instead I've been fortunate enough that I've had James and Remus and Lily and," he sighed, "even Peter. It hurts me to see that I'm out of my depth, that I can't effectively help the both of you."

"We don't need help, Sirius," I said, much as I'd said before.

Sirius sighed again. "Hopefully," he said. "If that's said often enough I might believe it." He took a breath. "If you're fighting the Department of Mysteries, the best bet is to have Dumbledore on your side. Without him being Headmaster he'll have a little more time on his hands."

"Dumbledore is too powerful," said Draco. "The same reason we didn't want to work with Voldemort in his various incarnations."

"You made a compromise with me, though," I said. Draco looked surprised as he looked at me and then at Sirius. "I'm telling more and more people as we go along," I explained. "It makes no sense to hide information if potential enemies know it."

Draco looked outright disappointed by that another part of him looking as though he'd been physically struck.

He took a breath and started before I interrupted as realisation hit, "Draco, are you in love with me?"

At once Draco reddened, but I was what worried me was the fact that his hand was moving for the folds of his robes. I mirrored by the time he had his wand pointed at me the same was said for me too.

"You're Voldemort," he said.

"Yes," I said, confused. "You knew this. Everyone know this—"

"No," said Draco. "I don't mean you're a Horcrux, I mean you're _Voldemort,"_ he said, insistent. "It's not that you're just a Horcrux, more that his started taking over portions of you. _You're Voldemort."_

"No," I said. "I'm Harry Potter, with a bit of Voldemort in him. The largest active piece of him right now. Which is why I don't mind being called Voldemort or thought of as him. But what you're saying, especially since you don't have evidence—"

"But you're not you, Harry" he said. "You've been acting differently. Out of character. From the reports, you used the _Cruciatus Curse…._ " He took in a deep breath. "I told them before that if they pushed you too far they'd make you something stupid and here it is in front of me. You accepted Voldemort's soul, didn't you? It must have been after Hermione's betrayal, when you felt at your lowest. And now…"

"And now what?" I asked.

"I don't know, Harry," he said. **"Back."**

Draco disappeared with a flash of blue light. For the first time I noticed that Sirius had been watching, silent his wand on the table and prepared to react. He looked at me and he looked hollowed out.

"Harry," he said.

I sighed. "Get things setup with Dumbledore," I said. "Alpha." There was a pull at my navel and I appeared in a little town. I turned on the spot and I was at Hogwarts. I moved towards one of the secret passages and it didn't take long since I was in the castle.

Sirius knew about one thing but not the other. The only people who I'd told was Dudley, I hadn't thought that the others might figure it out, for that matter I still didn't—

 _Stop being stupid,_ a part of me thought. _It's obvious. Don't beat around it because you don't want to face it._

"In an alternate timeline I'm gay?" I muttered as I walked.

But it was a possibility wasn't it? As I knew it, there were four 'modes' that human sexuality worked in: Asexuality, heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. I'd never investigated it, but I didn't remember anyone having an explanation as to why sexuality was in the first place.

If it was a raw number's thing, then there was a three in four chance that I would be born something other than straight. Of course, this was all not taking into account the large fact that most of the world's population was heterosexual which would skew the perfect one in four that I was working with.

But that wasn't important. Because things were simple in a world of infinites. In a far-reaching span that was infinity, then all probabilities _were._

"I am thinking too much about this," I muttered to myself as I stepped into the halls of Hogwarts. "Expecto Patronum," I said and Prongs leapt out.

I activated the spells on my glasses and I saw the general shift as people moved. There was no one directly ahead of me which was what I wanted. Draco would have likely told other members of the Society about what I'd done and I might have people after me. Which meant that I might be out of Hogwarts again, something I didn't want—to be forced out again.

I turned and scaled down a set of stairs and moved towards the Chamber of Secrets. There was only one form there, Parvati and she was working the Unspeakable as I entered. She turned and looked at me, "Potter, you're already back?"

"Yes," I said. I moved my hand to fix my glasses and a lance of light flooded outwards. Parvati couldn't dodge or move to build a shield but she must have already had one on her clothing because the shield activated. She moved into a duelling stance but quickly moved on the defensive because a flood of spells were already flying towards her.

She moved to the side, opting to dodge the flurry but I tracked where she was going to go and fired another beam. It struck her shields but the crack, blinking out of existence.

"Protego Maxima!" she said, her wand pointing downward and a shimmering wall coming alight.

"Avis," I said in answer. The bird flew out with a thump and hit the shield; it exploded in a plume of fire and that fire condensed, forming two more birds that flew away and then hurtled again towards the shield, hitting and exploding.

They would continue until the barrier broke and it would be hell to vanish them because she wouldn't be vanishing _all_ of them at once. Added to that that birds were my trade, meaning it didn't take too much effort to make them smart on my part. The moment they realised they were being picked off they would want to bolster their numbers.

I focused on the Troll before putting my wand at my throat, _"Close,"_ I said and the doors started moving. I pointed my wand and said, "Imperio." The spell cut through the wards like butter and it hit the Unspeakable.

He would have been trained against it, of course, which meant.

"Crucio!" The man started screaming, a hollow and deep sound that passed through me. Emotion started stirring up but I pushed it back, locking it away and focus on the wider objective. This was a piece in their game, which meant I had to take it away.

The man's eyes slacked and that was the sign. "Imperio," I said and I had control. "Legillimens," I said and there was a connection between me and him. The mental commands were relayed just as the of the Society members stepped through.

Padma, Neville, Fray and Susan. All of them had their wands drawn and prepared to fight.

"Harry?" said Susan.

"I don't know what you know, yet," I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out my tertiary wand. I through it at the Unspeakable. He caught it, the thing small against his large hands. "But you're not going to do anything about it."

"What's the meaning of this?" said Fray.

"It must have something to do with Draco," said Neville. "You saw how he was when he arrived. This is war, then?"

"Depends on how things will be moving forward," I said.

"Kind of hard for things not to go south when you're attacking my sister," said Padma. I looked back and there was a veritable wall of fire birds all of them attacking shields that were forming and quickly being taken down. I couldn't see Parvati beyond.

"Stop," I said. "Find perches. Protect me if they attack."

"Trevor," said Neville. The giant toad reacted, opening its mouth and letting out a massive tongue that split apart into hair-thin tongues, all of them shooting for my birds. Each of them hit, wrapping around a bird and pulling it to Trevor's mouth but the birds fought.

One of them exploded and it took a host of others, the number of birds in the sky redoubled and they flew towards Neville. He had his wand out and prepared to build up a shield before I gestured and the birds reacted, flying upwards and finding perches.

"That's a bad idea, Neville," I said. "Let's hope you don't do it again because next time I'll think you're really attacking me and I'll see fit to defend myself."

"Expecto Patronum," said Susan and her Patronus flew up. An otter returned a moment later.

"I'm on my way," said Hermione.

A terse silence stretched with me testing the connection between me and the Unspeakable. His mind was a jumbled mess, enough so that it was hard telling up from down, but even with the small space of time that had stretched there was already a certain order. Certain memories connecting in a manner I thought might be natural. Looking at the broader aspects of his mind, the damage was too extensive, he what he'd fixed too small, it would be years at most before he had a working mind.

But as it was, his mind would be more pliable. I started digging, searching through and sifting for anything that seemed odd, something that would was vivid in the jumbled mess. From this I could see all the work the Society had been doing in this foreign mind, how they'd sought to imprint themselves in the Unspeakable's mind.

I started undoing this, forcing myself in some places and washing out the members of the Society that I could see, while doing this I worked to bring forth instinct and skill, gearing it so that it was intuitive and would respond to the Imperius Curse.

Making the perfect soldier, neverminding that I was slowly stripping the man of his identity. There emotion started to burgeon but I stamped it down.

"Harry," said Hermione. I snapped back. There were more people here, Dudley among them. I could see the division, the mistrust because wands were held in hand. I met Draco's eyes through the thick of it and gave him a wink; again he looked visibly struck.

"You don't need to do this," she said.

"The Society imprisoned me," I said. "With what Draco knows it's very likely that that might happen again. This is my security."

"He knows?" said Dudley.

I nodded. "Draco figured it out."

"But to these lengths?" said Hermione. "You tortured a man to insanity."

Expressions flickered, people who hadn't realised what was happening coming into it. Theo gave me the widest of grins from afar, Dudley was impassive, Lily conflicted and Ron angry.

"Let's get it out there," I said and I looked at Dudley and then at Theo and then a Lily. There were subtle shifts. "I'm a Horcrux." Dudley reached at his wrist, pushing it up and then reached at his side.

"You all know this," I said. "But what you don't know. When I was pushed far enough, I found myself _wanting,_ I thought I needed to get stronger, faster and there was a handy way of doing so. Subsuming Voldemort."

Ron started moving but a host of wands were already pointed in his direction. They weren't many, not enough that they could outmatch the sheer numbers in the room, but I'd prepared: I had the field and I had an Unspeakable.

"You're like Su," said Blaise.

"Yes and no," I said. "Unlike Su, I have old magic on my side. The protections my mother put up so Voldemort's curse could rebound. It was destroying Voldemort and he didn't want to die, so he let me take him in. But unlike Su, I didn't get his memories or his power, just added processing power."

"And a loss of morality," said Dunbar.

"No," I said. "That wasn't him. That was you. The Society. Desperation is…a powerful driver. You might have been doing it for a purpose, but you showed all of us that you could attack us and would to further your own ends. You did this to me and…what is it they say? Once bitten, twice shy?"

"That's bullshit and you know it," said Susan. "That's just rationalisation for you to do all this."

"I think the word you're looking for is justification," said Theo. "We discussed this, didn't we? About the precedent that attacking Harry then was setting up this exact situation? Well, the bed's made."

"Are you going to accept this hypocrisy?" said Daphne. "You all were up in arms that we were making decisions that affected all of you without consulting you, but twice now you've let Harry get away with it."

"Except," I said. "I'm not messing with the efforts of the collective. All of us want to the Department of Mysteries out of play. We're working towards an angle but there's still so much we don't know about _your_ plans, and this, _him,_ is all you."

"To help _everyone,"_ said Daphne, putting as much emphasis on those words as she could.

"So you say," I replied. I watched as she grit her teeth, looking at everyone and taking them in. I didn't have the same manipulative ability as she and Dudley had but I could see the general drift of the people that truly mattered, the people that weren't in either the Collective or the Society.

The Society had made a mistake before, when they'd chased me out of Hogwarts, and it was, now more than ever, coming to bite them in the butt. A smirk started twinging but I pushed the emotion down, it wouldn't do to look smug. It might send the wrong message, though I was still unsure how everyone was reacting to the revelation that I was more than a Horcrux, instead I was like Su.

"What now?" asked Hermione. "How do we move forward. Can the Society and the Collective still work together after this?"

"Why wouldn't they?" said Dudley. "Harry isn't a part of the Collective."

Another point against the Society because they'd set that up. It was harder this time to push back the sense of glee that I felt at the situation in general.

"I don't see how I could trust the Collective after this," said Neville. "Knowing that they'd protect Voldemort."

Ron reacted, he didn't speak but his expression warped. I'd lost him beyond losing him in the past. This was something he wouldn't be able to get past. If he wasn't already in the Society, then he'd be joining it soon, I could guess.

"I'm not Voldemort," I said.

"You're enough of him," said Neville. "you're the greatest piece of him that's still roaming the world. Able to _act."_

"I think you're conflating things," I said. "Voldemort has never been really a threat to any of us. The only danger he had was in the fact that he could kill one of us in a one-on-one duel. But that's not how we operate. The Society is more powerful than anything I could achieve. Especially after what happened when we formed the Collective, more especially now."

"I highly doubt your claim at impotence," Neville said. "You've still got the Order's ear."

I snorted at that. "Now you're questioning Dumbledore? _Dumbledore?_ You think I'll convince him to what? Give me the Order and let me use it to my own evil ends?" I let out another snort. "That's an impossibility if I've ever heard one."

I shook my head. "No. What's going to happen now is that you're not going to attack me," I said. "If you do I'll push back, making sure that the future is harder." I looked up at the birds that were flocking. The heat was surprisingly unoppressive even though the ceiling was on fire. "These will be staying. I'll give my birds orders every day to stay their attacks. If I don't, everything here is destroyed by fire."

"And what about your control over the Unspeakable?" asked Daphne.

"That's to ensure that I'm not locked out of future planning," I said. "You need me now, because with the connection between us, even in _sleep_ I can undo whatever you're trying to do to his mind."

After a breath I said, "I'll leave you all to discuss."

Dudley joined me and the other members of the Collective and the Unaffiliated. Theo was to my side, his wand spinning as it moved through his fingers.

"That was reckless," said Dudley.

"I had only a moment to act before they did something," I said. "It was all I could think to do."

"How did he figure it out?" Dudley asked. "Draco?"

I gave the others a look, seeing the mix of expressions. "You're not going hide things from us now, are you?" asked Theo. "I thought we were best buds."

"It's…I don't know if it's something I should be telling," I said. "But…if I figured it out, then I'm sure all of you must have figured it out. Draco and I were a couple in his timeline." I looked and none of the seemed surprised. "You all knew?"

"Well, yeah," said Dean. "It was how we thought about getting you back in the first place when the Society disappeared you. And he hasn't exactly been hiding it."

"Which," I said, "explains how he knew that something was wrong. I asked him if he was in love with me," I explained.

"That would do it," said Divina. "You've been oblivious that long. That you'd _notice,_ much less ask is odd. This might be an inopportune moment, but…could I run some tests on you? I kind of want to see the effect of having an extra soul. Both to your magical core and to your brain. You said you're thinking faster?"

I nodded. "Thoughts come faster but it's harder to focus. I have this intense need to do a lot which means over the past month I've been doing quite a bit but not exactly succeeding in any of ventures. I'm also better at Occlumency."

"How does connect?" she asked.

"Let's talk about it," I said. "In the process also figuring out how to hide my nature from the Unspeakables. I can't put it past the Society to not do anything about the testing."

"Testing?" Divina said.

"Right, I haven't told you yet," I said and so, as we walked, I explained what had happened during the Wizengamot gathering.


	68. Chapter 68

7-06

"That should be about it," said Divina as the last needle out of blood was pulled out of my arm. I rolled down the sleeve of my robes, letting out a sigh as I did. We were in a large classroom with a few contraptions and golden lines bordering the room.

"And what should I expect from this?" I asked. "The tests?"

It was hard not to get distracted because there were potions bubbling through the room and a few golems looking over them. All the golems looked like Divina, wearing a frown as they focused, jotting down notes in small notebooks, pulling out the page and wrapping it around a ladle which began stirring itself.

Divina shrugged. "I've never seen something like this before," she said and she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Right now, I'm just trying to figure out how it works before starting anything, and that means hiding you from the Unspeakable's gaze."

"So, you can't help me?" I said, a bit of resentment fighting through only to be pushed back. Over the last few hours I'd been pushing down too much emotion and it was all threatening to come back up.

"Not now, no," she said and she sighed. "But it's something I'm still going to work towards. You'll have to be on alert, though, pushing back the Unspeakables so that they don't test you because if they do, they'll be easily able to detect Voldemort's influence on you."

"I am asking too much," I muttered. "But, what I did with the Society was impulsive and a little on the stupid side. It made forward progress, but it opened myself up to other dangers."

"That's the course, isn't it?" she said, reclining against a desk. "The same thing with me. When I spread that spell over the earth, forcing people to look at me a certain way, I sent out a signal to all who were listening."

I stopped looking around the room and looked at her. "I'm not sure what that means."

"It means that I added fuel to a blaze," she said. She swallowed, her expression shaky. "It's not much because this place was already a powder keg, but my spell didn't help matters. Any being that fears the power of a wizard reacted when that spell succeeded; a massive mental command, powerful enough that it could warp even the perception of a perfect Occlumens."

"I never thought about that," I said.

Divina shrugged. "Neither did I while I was planning things. But after completing what I really wanted to do, I sat down and _thought._ It's one of the hypothetical situations I've got weighing on my conscious." She let out a breath. "But even with that, I don't think I would have done things any differently. It's selfish, but I haven't felt this good in a long time."

I thought about it for a second, letting past data and time work to complete a picture. I worked to consider what I could have done differently but pushed back the factor of hindsight. When I really thought about it, even with everything bad that had happened, I wouldn't change anything about how I'd dealt with things, because at the end of the day I'd had limited options.

 _That's a lie. You could have just left Hogwarts._

I pushed the thought—

 _ **NO.**_ _That will_ not _happen. You have to deal with this. All of this this. What you've done, the path you're starting down on._

"Harry?" said Divina, but she sounded so far away. "You look like you've seen an extra-terrestrial."

'This isn't happening,' I consciously thought. 'You don't have the power to disobey me.'

 _You think? You're pushing down emotion. You're doing things that will hurt you in the—_

'Stop,' I thought. 'Not here. Not now. I don't need Divina thinking that Voldemort is taking over.'

Though a different part of me couldn't help but think over that possibility, that the extra stream of thought might be Voldemort working to take over. I pushed this thread down and it worked, I let out a breath of relief at the success, an apprehension draining out of me at the small victory.

I shook my head. "I just realised something in my long-term plans," I said. I took a deep breath. "I'd better go back, think things over and how I might move forward if Wizengamot decides to start investigating us tomorrow."

 _You could just leave,_ came that stream of thought. _Be on the run. You don't need to be at the head of it all. Voldemort wasn't._

'And I'm not Voldemort,' I insistently thought.

 _But for how long?_

"Okay, then," said Divina slowly. "But, I'd really feel better if you let me into my mind and it might help with the Society. They'll see that there aren't any Voldemort remnants in your mind and they might work with you again, especially since you're the key to whatever they were planning with the Unspeakable."

I shook my head. "I've got bad memories about people trying to get into my head," I told her. "It's irrational, but even considering it sends shivers down my spine."

Divina shrugged. "I sort of get that," she said. "Be safe, Harry."

"You too," I said, starting towards the door. I stepped out and Dean and Lily were on the other side. They'd been talking, but they stopped the moment the door opened. "Where's Dudley?" I asked.

"Problems with Clara," said Dean. "He says shunting through dimensions took a lot out of her. It's only because she's immortal that she was able to survive, but she isn't regaining magical energy fast enough with how taxing being a phoenix naturally is."

"Justin was worried, so he went with him," said Lily. She looked a little on edge, but I could understand that. It was only a few hours before the full moon would rear its ugly head and she'd be forced through the agony of the transformations, to make things worse, she would be severely weakened an hour before so she wouldn't be too powerful.

"That's good of him," I said. "Means that I don't have to worry about him breathing down my neck as I head back to Slytherin house. Protective Dudley can sometimes be a little annoying."

"Better that he be annoying than you be in danger," said Dean. "Which is why he told me to go down with you. Two are better in a fight than one if the Society thinks to attack you."

"They're not," I said. I waved goodbye to Lily and started walking, Dean walked beside me. "I'm watching through the connection I had with the Unspeakable. In the hour, I've been rummaging through the Unspeakable's skills and I found something useful that will translate; lip reading. I've been listening in even with enchantments they've put up."

"You shouldn't have told me that," said Dean. I gave him a look. He was on the alert, eyes scanning the halls and taking in every person that moved towards us; all the while his right hand was kept near the folds of his robes.

"Why?" I said. "We're allies, aren't we?"

His expression flickered so fast that I could only tell that it had flickered, but not read what had been written there. Even so it made me uneasy. I faced forward but made sure to angle my head so that I could see him with the corner of my eye. I couldn't entirely be sure what was going on and whether or not it was worth worrying about, but it never hurt to be vigilant.

"That's…complicated," he said to me. I gave him a look, eyebrow quirked.

"Oh?"

He nodded, quiet as we walked. We moved away from the more clustered hallways and started descending. Hogwarts became darker as we moved into the dungeons.

"Hogwarts was destroyed in my timeline," he said and then he looked at me. "You did it." I was quiet, pushing back the churning of emotion, dulling the voice that was screaming no in the back of my head.

"Seventy-five percent of the student body and faculty gone," he said, emotion bleeding into the works. "Most of the Death Eaters too, but…" He shook his head. "It was too much a price to pay, especially since Voldemort survived it."

He was quiet again, and this time the silence was terse, with my stomach tossing and turning as hypothetical images formed in my mind. Fire burning down the old castle, people screaming as they tried to run, teachers doing their best to calm the blaze but being unsuccessful, and at the middle of it all, _me._

"First it was Ron, then Sirius, then Ginny, then Dumbledore and finally Hermione. When that happened, I think something within you snapped. One moment we're having lunch in the Great Hall, then a wand is pointed and the Killing Curse is said by a student; then Hermione falls to the ground, there's a scream and then there's fire all around us.

"You're dangerous, Harry," he continued. "More dangerous than Voldemort because when you snap you don't care about the consequences. You _destroy."_

The bad feeling in my stomach redoubled. I fixed my glasses and the spell awoke, images shifting and I could see a person trailing behind us while another was waiting in a bend ahead of us. It was possible it was just students who didn't have anything to do with this but I doubted it.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're going to do what the Society did to me," I said. "Take me down and push me into an endless sleep?"

"Wouldn't you in my position?" he asked. "It was one thing to go through all that, to survive it, but to see a version of it again in the Chamber?" He shook his head. "I'll need something from you, Harry, an Unbreakable Vow that you won't ever use Cursed Fire, that the moment the first word of the incantation leaves your mouth you've broken the vow and your life's forfeit."

I was quiet for a long moment, not even thinking about the possibility of accepting the vow. It would be limiting myself too much, that I might not be able to let myself out of a tough enough bind using the fire. The chances that I might need to use it were slim, but it was probable and that was all that mattered.

"If I don't?" I asked.

"You know what I'll be forced to do," he said.

I let out a sigh, my hands twitching as they prepared. The body behind us started to move faster while the one in front of us shifted, not getting closer but standing at alert. They'd probably been listening in on the conversation.

"Before we begin this," I said and Dean shifted, walking a little away from me, his hand reaching into his robes. "Where's Dudley?"

"Captured," said Dean. "Hidden behind wards in a location even I don't know about." He stopped as I did, turning to face me and taking a step back. There was a small hint of fear in his expression and I could guess that if came from the fact that I couldn't hold back my emotions any longer.

"This simple if you make it that way, Harry," he said. "Don't resist, take the Vow and you've appeased me. I don't make this into a bigger deal and it restrains other people who want to do more than just make you take the Vow."

The two others were moving, slowing getting closer though the person ahead of us moved slower. Three people with only a limited amount of space. I didn't have any allies present and even if I contacted them it would mean a little time before they arrived. There was a low probability that I could win this fight, a low probability that I could escape and there was also the chance that they might be able to stop my Patronus just as the Society did.

Which limited my choices, either I gave into the Vow, which I didn't want to do, or I was captured by them. Maybe they would do it in a similar vein to the Society and I'd be put under the effects of the Draught of Living Death. It made the option of taking the Vow look more appealing, except…

"No," I said. "I don't think I will."

"Harry," said Dean and there was desperation in his tone.

"I think you're forgetting that capture isn't on the cards. Because if you do that, I'll just ride the connection I share with the Unspeakable to get myself out."

"Then plan b," said Dean. "Dudley's life is on the line. You don't decide in the next three seconds to accept the Vow or I'm going to have him killed."

Dean took a step back, wand finding his hand. I pushed my mind into doing the same only to find that my wand was already there. _I'd_ been the one to make the first move.

"You do that and I burn this entire castle down," I said, surprised at the heat, and above all surprise that the spell and the wand motion were already in my mind, my body just waiting to react.

"It's as I told you," said a voice, Ron's and it was being cast out.

Dean sighed and started saying, "Act—" Before he was cut off, being forced to jump out of the way of the spell. I jerked my wand and pulled as he was getting up. My spells landed, one striking him back while the other pulled his wand towards me.

As I was about to grab his wand protections spells flared around me, a shield forming and stopping the wand from coming any closer.

 _He'd cursed his wand._

He was getting up, a sword pulled out of thin and already slashing. Even with the distance he'd be able to hit; a shield formed, taking the brunt of the spell and I tapped my glasses. The shaft of light flew just as the world heaved, everything shaking and cracks reverberating from all around me.

The lights flickered, the shaking getting fierce enough that it was getting hard to stand.

"Expecto Patronum," I said, just as I was forced to let myself fall, a green curse whooshing past me. Prongs didn't even have time to fully form before he disappeared.

I rolled while moving my wand, pointing it downwards before bringing it up; a shield appeared, a semi-dome that protected me from all sides. I couldn't send the message out this way but there was another, I pushed my mind back and spread through the connection to the Unspeakable.

The man pulled out the wand I'd left with him and I saw as the Society members that were in the Chamber as they reacted. I ordered it and the man spoke, "Someone's acting against me. Remember the protections."

At the same time eight beavers shot out of his wand moving in different directions. Theo, Justin and Dudley, just in case Dean had been lying, Sirius, Moody, Dumbledore, Snape and Remus.

Three spells hit my shield before it disappeared and I was forced to fall back as the ground suddenly tilted; but the motion held, sending me, Dean, Ron and Lily falling downward before the floor righted itself again.

Lily was the first to get to her feet, wand already pointed in my direction I was faster with my wand motion; the spell shot out and hit the Prismatic shield, the angles meant it rebounded and hurtled towards Ron who'd been too preoccupied with getting up to dodge; Dean slashed and even with the distance the spell bolt exploded from an unseen impact.

"Incendios Grata!" I shouted, my voice almost inaudible beyond sounds around us. Nothing happened and my shields took the brunt of the impact from three spells.

They'd prepared, most likely less for my fire than my self-replicating birds.

"Fumos!" I said and a plume of smoke spread out. I pointed my wand towards Ron, firing a spell. Dean and Lily were closer, but one was a close combat fighter while the other had supernatural reflexes.

The image from the Revealment Charm showed him sweeping to the side only to fall as the world dropped, shot up and the dropped again. My mind wanted to reel but I didn't allow it, I get getting to my feet again, already choosing to run while ignoring the fact that parts of the hallway had been shunted out of the castle.

I said a spell and a white light spread out on the ground, showing dark purple scars in places. Those would be curses and they littered enough of the forest that running would be hard.

I heard a crack behind me and jumped to the side. The right thing to do because a salvo of spell bolts passed through were I'd been, each of them breaking bark on impact. I changed direction while pointing my wand behind me, thumps reverberating as my ravens flew into the sky.

I got five prepared before a form slammed into my back, driving me face first in to the ground. Before I could react I was pulled up and thrown too fast, a scream leaving me as I hit the trunk of a tree. Looking in the direction, I could see Lily as she was taller, her eyes letting of a bright ember glow.

I looked up and I could see the light of the full moon.


End file.
